Copyright
The Swedish Copyright Act gives authors, composers, artists and other content creators the right to determine how their works may be used.
The moment the work is created, the creator automatically gains copyright over his or her work. This means that they have the right to decide how the work is used.
Private use of protected works
Copyrighted works that have been made public may be copied for private use. Private use includes reproductions made for personal study, for your own enjoyment, or for close family and friends. “Copies” refers to everything from printed copies to photos taken with your mobile phone.
However, you may not make the material available to the general public!
When it comes to published texts, you may copy them without the copyright holder's permission, provided it is done to a limited extent. According to the National Library of Sweden, this means no more than 25% of the entire work.
Shorter texts such as articles, poems, and short stories may be copied in full. You may also copy images and maps for private use.
The person making the copies is responsible for how they are used. This applies whether you copy the material yourself or if the Library does so on your behalf.
You are not allowed to:
- Copy material that has not been made public, such as private letters or hand-drawn images.
- Distribute the material in larger settings, such as in a classroom, an association, or for commercial purposes.
- Make the material available to the public by sharing it online.
All of this requires permission from the copyright holder and is governed by an agreement. Read more about the agreement below.
Public use of protected works
If you wish to use a copyright-protected work in a public context, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder. This is something you must arrange yourself. In other words, the National Library of Sweden cannot assist you with this.
Public use includes distribution to a larger audience, such as a wider circle of friends or a club or organisation. Using the material for commercial purposes or sharing it online are other examples.
The Natonal Library is responsible for any copying we carry out on your behalf for public use. For this reason, we may request additional information about how you intend to use the copies. This is governed by an agreement stating that you have obtained the copyright holder’s permission.
Agreement
If the work that you wish to copy is protected or if you are going to copy more than 25% of the work (for text), we need to know that you have the copyright holder’s permission. This is regulated by an agreement. You are welcome to contact library staff for help completing all the information. Please note that the National Library will not place the order before a signed agreement has been received.
Download agreement
Threshold of originality
In order for artistic and literary works to be protected by copyright, the work must have reached the threshold of originality. This means that the work has a sufficiently high degree of originality and that no one else could have produced the exact same thing. We generally assumes that all works at the National Library have reached the threshold of originality.