PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)

Exclusive Rights to the Book Trade in Christiania, Copenhagen (1670)

Source: The Danish National Archives via Digitalarkivet, Danske Kanselli 1572-1799, RA/EA-3023/F/Fc/Fca/Fcaa/L0011: Norske registre (mikrofilm), 1670-1673, s. 129a.

Citation:
Exclusive Rights to the Book Trade in Christiania, Copenhagen (1670), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

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Record-ID: sc_1670

Permanent link: https://copyrighthistory.org/cam/tools/request/showRecord.php?id=record_sc_1670

Full title:
We now permit and grant...that Hans Hoff...may from now on, during his and his wife’s lifetimes, trade exclusively in books in Christiania and its diocese...

Full title original language:
Hafr bevilget oc tillat...at Hans Hoff...maa udj forbem: Christiania, oc dess underliggende Stifft frj boghandling Allene uden nogen Andens indpas Eller forfang sin og sin Hustrues Lifstiid niude oc Beholde...

Abstract:
This is a royal licence (kongebrev) granted by King Christian V of Denmark-Norway (1670–1699) to the bookseller Hans Hoff (d. 1686) in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. It gave Hans Hoff and his wife permission to be the only booksellers in the town and diocese of Christiania for as long as they lived, on condition that they sold books at reasonable prices and without any complaints from customers. The document is important because it excluded all booksellers other than Hans Hoff and his wife from doing business in the town and diocese of Christiania. No other Norwegian bookseller had ever achieved a similar position. The privilege of selling books provided Hans Hoff with a steady income, which gradually enabled him to finance the printing and publishing of his own books; it was to become the basis for a dispute over who was allowed to distribute creative works in Norway.

Commentary: No commentaries for this record.

Bibliography:
N/A

Related documents in this database:
1670: Exclusive Rights to the Book Trade in Christiania
1670: Exclusive Rights to the Book Trade in Christiania

Author: Christian V of Denmark

Publisher: N/A

Year: 1670

Location: Copenhagen

Language: Danish

Source: The Danish National Archives via Digitalarkivet, Danske Kanselli 1572-1799, RA/EA-3023/F/Fc/Fca/Fcaa/L0011: Norske registre (mikrofilm), 1670-1673, s. 129a.

Persons referred to:
Cassuben, Christian

Places referred to:
N/A

Cases referred to:
N/A

Institutions referred to:
N/A

Legislation:
N/A

Keywords:
book market
book trade
books, protected subject matter
inheritability
monopoly

Responsible editor: Marius Buning


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