PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)

Licensing Rules, Madrid (1502)

Source: Biblioteca Nacional de España; BNE. pages 122-123 from Novísima recopilación de las Leyes de España. Madrid : [s.n.], 1805-1807)- Signature 1/6722.

Citation:
Licensing Rules, Madrid (1502), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

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                        TITLE XVI
      
            Of Books and its prints, licences and other requirements
                  for its introduction and circulation
      





      
                  LAW I
      
      Ferdinand and Isabel. Toledo
            Pragm. 8 July 1502.
      
Formalities that should precede printing
      and selling books from the kingdom and
      authorising foreign ones
      
      We hereby order and uplhold that,
from now on, no bookseller or mould
printer, or merchant, or agent of the
above, shall dare mould print, whether
directly or indirectly, any book from
any faculty or reading matter or work,
or Romance, without having first
obtained a licence and special mandate
from us to do so, or from the following
persons: in Valladolid or Granada from
the Presidents who reside, or would reside
in each one of our Audiencias; and in the
city of Toledo, the Archbishop of Toledo;
and in the city of Seville, the Archbishop
of Sevilla; and in the city of Granada, the
Archbishop of Granadada; and in Burgos
the Bishop of Burgos; and in Salamanca
and Zamora, the Bishop of Salamanca:
neither should they even dare sell in the
above-mentioned kingdoms any of the
mould books they brought from abroad,
from any faculty or matter that is
even another short or long work,

whether in Latin or Romance, without
having it read and examined by the afore-
mentioned persons, or by those they
commission, and those who have licence
to do so. Otherwise, by doing so, those
who have printed them without licence,
licencia, or who sell those books brought in
from abroad without licence, shall forfeit
all the above-mentioned books. These will
be all be burned publicly in the city or village
square or place where they were made, or
where they were sold. In addition, they will
lose the price they would have received,
and would have been given and they will
pay a penalty for the same amount in
maravedís as the books that were burnt are
worth: we order this penalty to be distributed
into three parts; one part for the person
who reports the abuse, another for the Judge
that decides the case and the other for
our Chamber and Exchequer; and in
addition we prohibit them them to continue
in this trade. And we entrust and order that
the mentioned Prelates diligently arrange
for these books that would have been sold
or printed, to be read and examined
whatever their quality might be,
whether large or small, in Latin or Romance:
and it must be seen which Faculty the works
that are to be printed came from. It shall be
upheld that those works that are apocryphal
and superstitious, and condemned, and vain
and useless



    

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                        TITULO XVI
      
            De los libros y sus impresiones, licencias y otros requisitos
                  para su introduccion y curso
      





      
                  LEY I
      
      Don Fernando y Doña Isabel en Toledo
            por pragm. de 8 de Julio de 1502.
      
Diligencias que deben preceder á la impre-
      sion y venta de libros del Reyno, y para
      el curso de los extrangeros
      
      Mandamos y defendemos, que nin-
gun librero ni impresor de moldes, ni
mercaderes, ni factor de los suso dichos,
no sea osado de hacer imprimir de molde
de aquí adelante por vía directa ni indi-
recta ningún libro de ninguna Facultad ó
lectura ó obra, que sea pequeña ó gran-
de, en latn ni en romance, sin que pri-
meramente tenga para ello nuestra licen-
cia y especial mandado, ó de las perso-
nas siguientes: en Valladolid ó Granada
los Presidentes que residen, ó residieren
en cada una de las nuestras Audiencias
que allí residen; y en la ciudad de Toledo
el Arzobispo de Toledo; y en la ciudad
de Sevilla el Arzobispo de Sevilla; y en la
ciudad de Granada el Arzobispo de Gra-
nada; y en Burgos el Obispo de Búrgos;
y en Salamanca y Zamora el Obispo de
Salamanca: ni sean asimismo osados de
vender en los dichos nuestros Reynos nin-
gunos libros de molde que truxeren fue-
ra dellos, de ninguna Facultad ni materia
que sea ni otra obra pequeña ni grande,

en latin ni en romance, sin que primera-
mente sean vistos y examinados por las
dichas personas, ó por aquellos á quien
ellos lo cometieren, y hayan licencia de-
llos para ello; so pena que por el mismo
hecho hayan, los que los imprimieren sin
licencia, ó vendieren los que truxeren de
fuera del Reyno sin licencia, perdido y
pierdan todos los dichos libros, y sean
quemados todos públicamente en la plaza
de la ciudad, villa ó lugar donde los hu-
bieren hecho, o donde los vendieren; y mas
pierdan el precio que hubieren rescibido, y
se les diere y paguen en pena otros tan-
tos maravedís como valieren los dichos
libros que así fueren quemados: la qual
dicha pena mandamos, que sea repartida
en tres partes; la una parte á la persona
que lo denunciare, y la otra para le Juez
que lo sentenciare, y la otra para la nues-
tra Cámara y Fisco; y demas mandamos,
que no puedan continuar en dicho oficio.
Y encargamos y mandamos á los dichos
Perlados, que con mucha diligencia ha-
gan ver y examinar los dichos libros y
obras, de cualquier calidad que sean, pe-
queña ó grande, en latín ó en romance,
que asi hubieren de vender é imprimir: y
las obras que se hubieren de imprimir
vean de que Facultad son, y as que fue-
ren apócrifas y supersticiosas, y reproba-
das, y cosas vanas y sin provecho, de-



    

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