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Willing Agreement of Booksellers in Amsterdam, Leyden, Rotterdam,
The Hague, Utrecht, etc., Amsterdam
(1710)
Source: Scan taken from: J. Diederich (ed.), Vijf eeuwen boek in Nederland, Haarlem: De Librije, 1940, p. 66-67
Citation:
Willing Agreement of Booksellers in Amsterdam, Leyden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, etc., Amsterdam (1710), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
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2 translated pages
Chapter 1 Page 1
WILLING AGREEMENT
OF THE
BOOKSELLERS
WITHIN
AMSTERDAM, LEYDEN, ROTTERDAM,
THE HAGUE, AND UTRECHT, ETC.
We undersigned Booksellers within AMSTERDAM, LEYDEN, ROTTERDAM, THE HAGUE, AND UTRECHT, and other cities that wish to agree with us herein, bind us together, to the improvement of the Trade, to the following Articles.
I. That to the prospering of the Trade, each city will assess its books in comparison to those of Amsterdam, and mainly take into account the beauty of Print, Paper, Letter, meticulousness of Images, as well as the Languages. And considering the sale of Latin goods cannot happen in as short a time as of the French, one allows that, all being equal of Print, Paper, Letter, Images, etc., for the Latin will be charged ten out of hundred more than for the French.
II. A person printing sloppily, or on weathered, ugly paper, with badly carved Plates, will pro rato be paid less than one customarily would charge for such a sheet, and more than ordinarily if his book is done more meticulously comparatively, so that the one will not gag the other with the overpricing.
III. That we may not, either directly or indirectly, be it in Exchange, on Credit, or in Money, or under whatever pretext, accept any book that is pirated of someone of the undersigned: with the proviso that hereby is not prohibited to import and to sell the originals.
IV. That we, as soon as a book of ours has been copied, together without exception should attack the best Copies of the reprinter that will be distributed, how they will be printed, and the number of the circulation will be assessed by majority vote, provided that all the Copies will be delivered all on the same day to those who have paid for their share, and will not be sold earlier in one city or the other as that same day.
V. In case someone failed to pay his money on time, and to collect his share, he will have to pay six per cent interest for every month he fails to, and calculated over the three months, until his risk has been sold, in case of damages, but more thereof for the Benefit of the Company, and each town will be responsible for their own; were someone to become reluctant to comply with the one or the other he would be regarded as a recalcitrant and copier.
VI. That we may not give Books on credit or for money to no one, whether he is party to this Contract or not, who sells any book that after this will be reprinted or published, according to the given warning.
VII. Whoever will copy a Book of a foreign Bookseller, he who will first give notice thereof, or presents a printed sheet, will be held to be the rightful owner thereof, and if he wished to keep it secret for reasons of his own, he would still have to notify one of the chosen men in each town under promise of confidentiality; so that, if two are in each other's way, it will be demonstrated who has been the first owner, to accommodate the parties.
VIII. In case no one is in a position to notify, or make known in the Company, nor to notice in the Gazette, that is printed or is about to be printed by him a certain book received from abroad, that which he would later wish to stall or even not carry out, but only seeks to make a profit thereof, or to preclude another of such a bargain, on the penalty of twenty-five Guilders, if he within three months thereafter can produce no printed sheets, in his ownership, unless he proves to reason of legacy that something in there is to the detriment of the Government or morality.
IX. If a foreign Bookseller were to print, or cause others to print books in this country in order to get hold of our goods, which he otherwise would have to buy with money, which causes remarkable damage to the trade in this country, and is to the detriment of the country of the inbound and outbound expenses), no one will be free, if one knows that it has been printed in this country, to take a Copy, but have to be reprinted by the shared Company, in accordance with the fourth Article: and everyone is held to take his proportional share at the price as will be put in print on the penalty of three hundred Guilders.
Chapter 1 Page 2
X. The foreign Booksellers residing outside the seven Provinces, and coming to this country with large numbers to exchange or sell their new books, those books will not be allowed to be accepted on credit or in exchange, before their books will have been examined and appraised by the chosen men, and the towns notify each other forthwith, so that their prices according to the customary rate of their country, calculated according to the Paper and Printing there, and the transport moreover set to discretion, are also set according to that, in order that the one or the other of our Booksellers will not come to suffer by its overpricing, and ours books therefore outside this country will not be sold less as here on its account. And all shall have to be complied with in good faith on penalty of a hundred ducats, if whoever in one way or another will act outside of our agreement with them, or by failure of willing payment, they will be attacked as copier.
XI. Whoever will print or publish a book, will not be allowed to sell it in his shop earlier than before the price for it is set by the chosen men in each city, and after he sells it from his shop, he will not be allowed to detain from sending it to the Booksellers, (with whom he can find his contentment) for more than a month: all within reason.
XII. All books printed outside this country together with someone over there, or only at his expense, will not be seen as personal Copies, but anyone is free to copy them in this country.
XIII. That, if someone will receive copied Books, he will immediately be held to bring them to the Deacon, or the ones chosen thereto, after which the postage of the same Books will have to be compensated to each by the sender, (before one sends it back to find the back taxes on the good:) but if someone fails as above, thus he declares himself subject to the penalty of the fourth Article, and furthermore to pay each time a fine of 25 Guilders for the benefit of each of the Company of the town in which the Case occurs: provided that everyone has been warned that it is a copied book.
XIV. Before one will attack any copier for revenge, the case will first be investigated by the company in each town, whether the revenge occurs lawfully or out of passion; and if then by the Company collectively orders are given, that the aggrieved will copy the copier, and then he will in the name of the Company, however, under the supervision of the chosen men, execute everything in order to bring the others to reason, and to assist in conformity with the fourth Article. Thus accepted and collectively ratified and signed by us.
Amsterdam, eighth March seventeen hundred and ten.
AMSTERDAM.
Henri Desbordes.
Francois Halma.
Pieter Mortier.
R. & G. Wetstein.
P. Brunel.
P. Marret.
Estienne Roger.
De Lorme.
Francois van der Plaats.
F. l'Honore.
Hend. Schelte.
Thomas Lombrail.
Joannes van Waasbergen.
Joannes Pauli.
Jacques Desbordes.
Jan Boom.
Pieter de Coup.
Pierre Humbert.
Adr. Braakman.
Louis Renard.
Freres Chastelyn.
Paul de la Feuille.
Claude Jordaan.
LEYDEN.
Cornelis Boutestein.
Joh. du Vivie.
A. Dykhuizen.
Is. Severinus.
Samuel Luchtmans.
Dirk Haak.
THE HAGUE.
A. Moetjens.
Abraham de Hondt.
E. Bouquet.
J. van Ellinkhuizen.
Henry van Bulderen.
Louis van Dole.
Hendrik van Dole.
E. Foulque.
P. van Thol.
Pierre Husson.
W. D. Voys.
T. Johnson.
Charles Delo.
J. Troyel, pour la veufve.
R. Aalbers, voor de wed. Uitwerf.
H. Scheurleer.
Johannes Clos.
Joh. Kitto.
ROTTERDAM.
Fritsch & Bohm.
Abraham Acher.
Joh. Hofhout.
UTRECHT.
W. van de Water.
W. Broedelet.
W. Poolsum.
Jacob van Poolsum.
Translation by: Miluska Kooij
Source: Scan taken from: J. Diederich (ed.), Vijf eeuwen boek in Nederland, Haarlem: De Librije, 1940, p. 66-67
Citation:
Willing Agreement of Booksellers in Amsterdam, Leyden, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, etc., Amsterdam (1710), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
Back | Record | Images | No Commentaries
Translation only | Transcription only | Show all | Bundled images as pdf
2 translated pages
Chapter 1 Page 1
WILLING AGREEMENT
OF THE
BOOKSELLERS
WITHIN
AMSTERDAM, LEYDEN, ROTTERDAM,
THE HAGUE, AND UTRECHT, ETC.
We undersigned Booksellers within AMSTERDAM, LEYDEN, ROTTERDAM, THE HAGUE, AND UTRECHT, and other cities that wish to agree with us herein, bind us together, to the improvement of the Trade, to the following Articles.
I. That to the prospering of the Trade, each city will assess its books in comparison to those of Amsterdam, and mainly take into account the beauty of Print, Paper, Letter, meticulousness of Images, as well as the Languages. And considering the sale of Latin goods cannot happen in as short a time as of the French, one allows that, all being equal of Print, Paper, Letter, Images, etc., for the Latin will be charged ten out of hundred more than for the French.
II. A person printing sloppily, or on weathered, ugly paper, with badly carved Plates, will pro rato be paid less than one customarily would charge for such a sheet, and more than ordinarily if his book is done more meticulously comparatively, so that the one will not gag the other with the overpricing.
III. That we may not, either directly or indirectly, be it in Exchange, on Credit, or in Money, or under whatever pretext, accept any book that is pirated of someone of the undersigned: with the proviso that hereby is not prohibited to import and to sell the originals.
IV. That we, as soon as a book of ours has been copied, together without exception should attack the best Copies of the reprinter that will be distributed, how they will be printed, and the number of the circulation will be assessed by majority vote, provided that all the Copies will be delivered all on the same day to those who have paid for their share, and will not be sold earlier in one city or the other as that same day.
V. In case someone failed to pay his money on time, and to collect his share, he will have to pay six per cent interest for every month he fails to, and calculated over the three months, until his risk has been sold, in case of damages, but more thereof for the Benefit of the Company, and each town will be responsible for their own; were someone to become reluctant to comply with the one or the other he would be regarded as a recalcitrant and copier.
VI. That we may not give Books on credit or for money to no one, whether he is party to this Contract or not, who sells any book that after this will be reprinted or published, according to the given warning.
VII. Whoever will copy a Book of a foreign Bookseller, he who will first give notice thereof, or presents a printed sheet, will be held to be the rightful owner thereof, and if he wished to keep it secret for reasons of his own, he would still have to notify one of the chosen men in each town under promise of confidentiality; so that, if two are in each other's way, it will be demonstrated who has been the first owner, to accommodate the parties.
VIII. In case no one is in a position to notify, or make known in the Company, nor to notice in the Gazette, that is printed or is about to be printed by him a certain book received from abroad, that which he would later wish to stall or even not carry out, but only seeks to make a profit thereof, or to preclude another of such a bargain, on the penalty of twenty-five Guilders, if he within three months thereafter can produce no printed sheets, in his ownership, unless he proves to reason of legacy that something in there is to the detriment of the Government or morality.
IX. If a foreign Bookseller were to print, or cause others to print books in this country in order to get hold of our goods, which he otherwise would have to buy with money, which causes remarkable damage to the trade in this country, and is to the detriment of the country of the inbound and outbound expenses), no one will be free, if one knows that it has been printed in this country, to take a Copy, but have to be reprinted by the shared Company, in accordance with the fourth Article: and everyone is held to take his proportional share at the price as will be put in print on the penalty of three hundred Guilders.
Chapter 1 Page 2
X. The foreign Booksellers residing outside the seven Provinces, and coming to this country with large numbers to exchange or sell their new books, those books will not be allowed to be accepted on credit or in exchange, before their books will have been examined and appraised by the chosen men, and the towns notify each other forthwith, so that their prices according to the customary rate of their country, calculated according to the Paper and Printing there, and the transport moreover set to discretion, are also set according to that, in order that the one or the other of our Booksellers will not come to suffer by its overpricing, and ours books therefore outside this country will not be sold less as here on its account. And all shall have to be complied with in good faith on penalty of a hundred ducats, if whoever in one way or another will act outside of our agreement with them, or by failure of willing payment, they will be attacked as copier.
XI. Whoever will print or publish a book, will not be allowed to sell it in his shop earlier than before the price for it is set by the chosen men in each city, and after he sells it from his shop, he will not be allowed to detain from sending it to the Booksellers, (with whom he can find his contentment) for more than a month: all within reason.
XII. All books printed outside this country together with someone over there, or only at his expense, will not be seen as personal Copies, but anyone is free to copy them in this country.
XIII. That, if someone will receive copied Books, he will immediately be held to bring them to the Deacon, or the ones chosen thereto, after which the postage of the same Books will have to be compensated to each by the sender, (before one sends it back to find the back taxes on the good:) but if someone fails as above, thus he declares himself subject to the penalty of the fourth Article, and furthermore to pay each time a fine of 25 Guilders for the benefit of each of the Company of the town in which the Case occurs: provided that everyone has been warned that it is a copied book.
XIV. Before one will attack any copier for revenge, the case will first be investigated by the company in each town, whether the revenge occurs lawfully or out of passion; and if then by the Company collectively orders are given, that the aggrieved will copy the copier, and then he will in the name of the Company, however, under the supervision of the chosen men, execute everything in order to bring the others to reason, and to assist in conformity with the fourth Article. Thus accepted and collectively ratified and signed by us.
Amsterdam, eighth March seventeen hundred and ten.
AMSTERDAM.
Henri Desbordes.
Francois Halma.
Pieter Mortier.
R. & G. Wetstein.
P. Brunel.
P. Marret.
Estienne Roger.
De Lorme.
Francois van der Plaats.
F. l'Honore.
Hend. Schelte.
Thomas Lombrail.
Joannes van Waasbergen.
Joannes Pauli.
Jacques Desbordes.
Jan Boom.
Pieter de Coup.
Pierre Humbert.
Adr. Braakman.
Louis Renard.
Freres Chastelyn.
Paul de la Feuille.
Claude Jordaan.
LEYDEN.
Cornelis Boutestein.
Joh. du Vivie.
A. Dykhuizen.
Is. Severinus.
Samuel Luchtmans.
Dirk Haak.
THE HAGUE.
A. Moetjens.
Abraham de Hondt.
E. Bouquet.
J. van Ellinkhuizen.
Henry van Bulderen.
Louis van Dole.
Hendrik van Dole.
E. Foulque.
P. van Thol.
Pierre Husson.
W. D. Voys.
T. Johnson.
Charles Delo.
J. Troyel, pour la veufve.
R. Aalbers, voor de wed. Uitwerf.
H. Scheurleer.
Johannes Clos.
Joh. Kitto.
ROTTERDAM.
Fritsch & Bohm.
Abraham Acher.
Joh. Hofhout.
UTRECHT.
W. van de Water.
W. Broedelet.
W. Poolsum.
Jacob van Poolsum.
Translation by: Miluska Kooij