PRIMARY SOURCES

ON COPYRIGHT

(1450-1900)

Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance, Stockholm (1812)

Source: Kongl. Maj:ts Och Riksens Stånders Faststälde Tryckfrihets-Forordning; Dat. Örebro den 16. Julii 1812. Cum Gratia & Privilegio S:æ R:æ Maj:tis. Stockholm, Tryckt i Kongl. Tryckeriet, 1812.

Citation:
Swedish Freedom of the Press Ordinance, Stockholm (1812), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org

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            Chapter 1 Page 7 of 12 total



That no one may be allowed, except in cases specified by the general law and current regulations, to issue, provide, or release to print extracts from church records or from other documents concerning matters of individual persons' faith and conduct, insofar as they concern harm or disparagement to them. Anyone who violates this shall be fined thirty-three Riksdalers and sixteen Skillingar.

That what concerns indecencies, or grievously wounds modesty, or contains blasphemies against God, or obscene expressions about the reigning authority of the state, or anything concerning individuals not directly involved in a case, which could have been included untimely, offensive, or derogatory, shall not be published in them through print, under penalty of thirty-three Riksdalers and sixteen Skillingar. What concerns the last case, if invoked, must be deemed necessary for examination and substantiation of the main matter by the judge who last ruled in the case.

In addition, and as it would become too extensive to set out all possible subjects, cases, and matters with precision, it shall be free for everyone to make publicly known in print anything that is not expressly prohibited by this law. Consequently, nothing that pertains to subjects allowed by this law to be printed, mentioned, or otherwise presented for scrutiny or reflection in the light of day shall be deemed punishable under the pretext of implying criticism or censure, as long as the responsibility for which is stipulated in this law.

 

Section 3

Under the stipulated conditions, in the examination of a writing or the responsibility for it, those responsible for such examination, in cases that appear ambiguous, must always give more weight to the older than to the recent, and always to the subject and thought rather than to the expression's illegality, to the intention of the writing rather than to the manner of presentation, and always without the right, in any case, to draw indefinite conclusions from the expressions, shall be considered as an abuse of Freedom of the Press.

1. Blasphemy against God. The offense shall be punished as stipulated in Chapter 1, Section 1 of the Criminal Code, General Law, and the writing shall be confiscated.

2. Denial of a God and an afterlife, or of the pure Evangelical Doctrine. The offender shall be considered as stipulated in Chapter 1, Section 4 of the Criminal Code, and the writing shall be confiscated.

3. Mocking of the Public Worship, God's word, and the Sacraments. The offense shall be punished with a fine of One Hundred Riksdalers, and the writing shall be confiscated.

4. All kinds of offensive expressions about the reigning King's High Person or actions, or His Consort, the Queen, or the designated Throne Successor of the Realm; The offense shall be punished according to Chapter 5, Section 1 of the Criminal Code, and the writing shall be confiscated.

5. Derogatory expressions against any of the other persons of the reigning Royal House who hold Royal or Princely dignity within the Realm; The offense shall be punished with a fine of One Hundred Riksdalers, and the writing shall be confiscated."

6. Derogatory expressions about the Estates of the Realm or any of their divisions; The offense shall be punished with a fine of One Hundred Riksdalers, and the writing shall be confiscated.

7. Incitement to mutiny or rebellion. The offense shall be punished according to Chapter 6 of the Criminal Code, and the writing shall be confiscated.

8. Defamatory expressions about the officials and servants of the State in the exercise of their official duties. The offense shall be punished according to the general law.

9. Defamatory, offensive, or discordant expressions about foreign Powers with which the State is in peaceful relations, concerning their Sovereigns, Government, mode of Government, High Officials and Ambassadors, internal or external relations, enterprises, or negotiations. The offense shall be punished according to the 6th Chapter, § 5, of the Criminal Code, compared with the Royal Ordinance of January 20, 1779. If the writing is not defamatory or offensive but through it any misunderstanding with a foreign Power is revealed, it may be confiscated without a trial.

10. All publication in print, concerning the State's ongoing negotiations with foreign Powers,

 



    


At ingen må tillåtas at, i andra fall än allmänna Lagen och nu gällande Författningar utstaka, meddela eller til tryck utlemna Utdrag af Kyrkoböcker eller af andra Själwården och Kyrko-Disciplinen rörande Handlingar, i afseende på enskildte Personer kefwerne[sic.] och seder, så widt de lända dem til skada eller förklenande. Den häremot bryter, böte Tretiotre Riksd. Sexton Skill.

At sådant, som rörer styggelser, eller högeligen sårar blygsamheten, eller innehåller hädelser emot Gud, eller lastliga uttryck om Rikets warande Öfwerhet, eller hwad i afseende på Personer, hwilka et mål icke egentligen beträffar, kunde i sådana handlingar hafwa inslutit, otidigt, anstötligt eller förklenligt, icke må uti dem, wid wite af Tretiotre Riksdaler Sexton Skill. genom trycket kungöras, utan få wida, hwad sistnämnde fall angår, åberopandet skulle af Domaren, som sist i målet dömt, pröfwas nödwändigt, til uplysning och styrkande af sjelfwa hufwudsaken.

I öfrigt, och som det blefwe för widlystigt, at alle förekommande ämnen, mål och ärenden med noggranhet utsätta, skal det stå hwar och en fritt, at i tryck allmänt kunnigt göra alt hwad som i denna Lag icke finnes uttryckeligen förbudet; följakteligen skal ock ej något, som öfwer i denna Lag tillåtliga ämnen i tryck anmärkes, påminnes eller eljest gransknings eller reflections-wis i dagsljuset framlägges, kunne under förewänding at innebära tadel eller klander, såsom straffbart anses, få wida skrifsättet icke såsom smädligt eller skändligt sig utmärker, om answar hwarföre i denna Lag stadgadt är.

 

§. 3

Under de förutsatta wilkor, at wid pröfningen af en Skrift eller answaret för densamma, de, på hwilka en sådan pröfning ankomma kan, i fall, som twetydiga synas, bäldre fria än källa, altid mera må fästa sin upmärksamhet på ämnets och tankens än på uttryckets lagstridighet, på Skriftens åsytning, än på framställnings sättet, och altid utan rättighet, at, i hwilket fall som hälst, draga obestämde slutföljer af uttrycken, skola såsom mizbruk af Tryckfriheten anses;

1:o Hädelse mot Gud. Brottet skal umgällas, såsom i 1. Cap. 1. §. Mizgernings Balken, Allmänna Lagen, stadgadt är och Skriften confisqueras.

2:o Förnekelse af en Gud och et lif efter detta, eller af den rena Ewangeliska Läran. Förbrytaren skal anses efter 1. Cap. 4. §. Mizgernings Balken, och Skriften confisqueras.

3:o Gäcker af den Almänna Gudstjensten, Guds ord och Sacramenten. Förbrydelsen skal umgällas med Ethundrade Riksdalers böter och Skriften confisqueras.

4:o Alt slags lastligt yttrande om den Regerande Konungens Höga Person eller gerningar, eller Dez Gemål, Drottningen, eller Rikets bestämda Thronföljare; Brottet skal straffas, enligt Mizgernings Balkens 5. Cap. 1. §. och Skriften confisqueras.

5:o Smädliga uttryck emot någon af de öfriga Personer af det Regerande Konungahuset, hwilka Kongliga eller Furstlig wärdighet inom Riket åtnjuta; Brottet skal straffas med Ethundrade Riksdalers böter och Skriften confisqueras.

6:o Smädliga uttryck om Riksens Ständer, eller någon af deras Fördelningar; Brottet skal straffas med Ethundrade Riksdalers böter och Skriften confisqueras.

7:o Upmaning til myteri eller upror. Brottet skal straffas enligt 6. Cap. Mizgernings Balken och Skriften confisqueras.

8:o Smädliga uttryck om Rikets Embets- og Tjeneste-män, i och för Embetet. Brottet skal straffas efter Allmän Lag.

9:o Smädliga, förgripliga eller til osämja med främmande Magter, med hwilka Riket är i fredeligt förholdande, om deras warande Öfwerhet, Regering och Regeringssätt, Höge Embetsmän och Sändebud, inre eller yttre förhållanden, företag eller underhandlingar. Förbrytelsen skal straffas enligt 6. Cap. 5. §. Mizgernings Balken, jemnförd med Kongl. Förordningen af den 20 Januarii 1779. Är Skriften ej smädlig eller förgriplig, men genom densamma mizförständ med Utländsk Magt sig yppat, må den, utan Rättergång, kunna confisqueras.

10:o Alt fungörande i tryck, af hwad som rörer Statens å färde warande Underhandlingar med främmande Magter, eller eljest

 



    


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