Commentary on: The Danish Copyright Ordinance, Copenhagen (1741)

The ordinance provided the legal basis for the right to copy books in Denmark-Norway until 1814, and in Denmark it remained in force until 1857. It was not only the first general law of its kind in Scandinavia but also the first in Europe outside the British Isles. The commentary describes the background to the promulgation of the ordinance, with particular emphasis on the religious and market context from which it emerged. The commentary argues that the ordinance was enacted to protect a semi-state printing press from competition from private printers, and that the ordinance aimed to provide a stable and wide range of religious literature.