PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)

The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance, Stockholm (1766)

Source: Kongl. Maj:ts Nådige Förordning, Angående Skrif- och Tryck-friheten. Gifwen Stockholm i Råd-Cammaren then 2. Decembr. 1766. Tryckt uti Kongl. Tryckeriet.

Citation:
The Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance, Stockholm (1766), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

Back | Record | Images | Commentaries: [1]
Translation only | Transcription only | Show all | Bundled images as pdf

            Chapter 1 Page 4 of 8 total



If the publication bears no name and the printer is demonstrably unwilling to provide one when the publication is prosecuted, he himself must assume all the responsibility that should be taken by the author. If, however, he is willing to name the author, he is absolved from all responsibility.

According to established custom the printer is obliged to deliver six copies of everything that is printed as soon as it has been printed with each of the following receiving one copy: Our and the Realm’s Chancellery, the Archive of the Realm, Our library, and all three universities in the Realm. If the printer neglects to do this, the fine is one hundred daler in silver coin. So that offences against this gracious ordinance may be duly prosecuted, careful supervision of the matter and the bringing of miscreants to their lawful punishment will not only be the duty of Our Chancellor of Justice but also of the appropriate ombudsmen and fiscals. However, We also wish to permit each and every one of Our loyal subjects to have the right to bring a case in matters concerning offences against this ordinance: this should always be done in the proper manner at an appropriate court after the execution of a legal summons, and the parties on both sides of the case must have the benefit of their full, legal procedural rights. At the start of the trial it is for the judge to assess whether there may be grounds for impounding all available copies of the publication being prosecuted and putting them in safe keeping until the end of the case. Should the publication eventually be considered to be harmful and therefore be prohibited, all copies are to be confiscated and destroyed. If, however, the plaintiff is found to have brought the case without due cause, he should suffer the same punishment as the accused would have undergone if he had been guilty, and he shall also reimburse all losses.

§. 5. That which has been specifically decreed in the first three paragraphs above concerning what is forbidden in writing and in print may not be extended or interpreted beyond its literal wording. On the contrary, it is regarded as lawful to write and print anything that clearly does not conflict with that, irrespective of the language or written form in which it is composed: this includes theological topics, ethics, history, any of the learned disciplines dealing with public or private economy, the activities of government departments and officials, societies and associations, commerce, trades, handicrafts and arts, information and inventions of all kinds as well as anything which may promote public utility and enlightenment. Furthermore, no one is to be denied the right to publish treatises on the subject of the statutory law of the Realm and related matters: so long as the publication does not in any way offend against the unalterable foundations of the constitutional law referred to in Paragraph 2 above, everyone shall have the unrestricted right to express his thoughts on all matters that touch upon the rights and duties of the citizen and which may lead to some improvement or the prevention of harmful consequences. This freedom shall also extend generally



    


Är Skriften utan namn och gitter ej Boktryckaren bewisligen thet upgifwa, när åtal therå giöres, stånde sjelf i alt thet answar, som skriftens författare stå bordt; Men gitter han Authoren upgifwa, ware från alt answar fri.

Af alt hwad som tryckes, ware Boktryckaren skyldig, at efter förra wanligheten aflemna Sex Exemplar, så snart the äro tryckte, theraf Wårt och Riksens Cantzlie-Collegium,Riks-Archivum, Wårt Bibliotheque och alla trenne Academierne i Riket, hwar sitt Exemplar undfår: Försummar Boktryckaren thetta, böte Etthundrade Dal. Silfwermynt: Och på thet förbrytelser emot thenna Wår Nådiga Förordning, må wederbörligen beifrade warda, skal thet icke allenast tilhöra Wår  Justitiæ Canceller samt wederbörande Ombudsmän och Fiscaler, at therpå hafwa ett noga inseende, samt befordra then brottslige til Laga näpst; Utan wele Wi ock tillåta, thet hwar och en af Wåre trogne undersåtare må äga rättighet, at i sådan sak, som angår brott emot thenna Förordning, talan föra, hwilket altid bör ske på ordenteligit sätt wid wederbörande Domstol, efter föregången Laga stämning, och Parterna å ömse sidor theras Laga Rättegångs förmoner få til godo njuta; Äge ock Domaren genast wid Rättegångens början at pröfwa, huruwida skäl wara kan, at alla befinteliga Exemplar af then öfwerklagade skriften måge til sakens slut under qwarstad och säkert förwar ställas: Warder skriften sluteligen för skadelig och förbuden ansedd, böra alla Exemplaren confisceras och förstöras. Finnes åter Käranden utan tilräckeliga skäl hafwa åtal gjordt, stånde han samma straff, som then anklagade bordt undergå, om han brottslig warit, och uprätte therjemte allan skada. 

§. 5. Hwad Wi således i the trenne förstnämde §.§. i Nåder tydeligen stadgat om thet, som i skrifwande och tryck bör aktas förbudit, må ingen utom thess bokstafweliga innehåll på något sätt draga eller förtyda, utan bör alt hwad theremot icke klarligen strider, anses lofgifwit at Skrifwa och Trycka, på hwad språk eller uti hwad skrifart thet kan vara författadt, antingen uti Theologiska ämnen, Sedoläran, Historien, eller någon af the lärda Wettenskaper, angående then allmänna eller enskildte hushållningen, Collegiers och Ämbetsmäns gjöromål, Societeter och Samfund, Handel, Näringar, Slögder och Konster, hwarjehanda Upgifter och inrättningar, med mera sådant, som til Allmänhetens nytta och uplysning lända kan: Äfwen som ock ingen förmenes utgifwa afhandlingar angående Riksens Allmänna Rätt och thertil hörige stycken, theruti en hwar, allenast Skriften ej i någor måtto kränker the i 2:dra §. här ofwanföre nämde oryggelige grunder af Regements Författningen, må äga obehindrad frihet at upgifwa sine tankar om alt, som Medborgares både rätt och skyldigheter rörer, samt til någon förbättring eller förekommande af skadelige fölgder tjena kan; hwilken frihet ock bör sträcka sig



    


Copyright History resource developed in partnership with:


Our Partners


Copyright statement

You may copy and distribute the translations and commentaries in this resource, or parts of such translations and commentaries, in any medium, for non-commercial purposes as long as the authorship of the commentaries and translations is acknowledged, and you indicate the source as Bently & Kretschmer (eds), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900) (www.copyrighthistory.org).

With the exception of commentaries that are available under a CC-BY licence (compliant with UKRI policy) you may not publish individual documents or parts of the database for any commercial purposes, including charging a fee for providing access to these documents via a network. This licence does not affect your statutory rights of fair dealing.

Although the original documents in this database are in the public domain, we are unable to grant you the right to reproduce or duplicate some of these documents in so far as the images or scans are protected by copyright or we have only been able to reproduce them here by giving contractual undertakings. For the status of any particular images, please consult the information relating to copyright in the bibliographic records.


Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900) is co-published by Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, 10 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DZ, UK and CREATe, School of Law, University of Glasgow, 10 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK