Before Copyright: Printing Privileges and the Politics of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe
BE4COPY investigates the evolution of printing privileges in Europe from 1470 to 1789, exploring their impact on copyright, knowledge production, and political interests.
Projectdetails
Introduction
BE4COPY examines the long-term history of printing privileges from a cross-disciplinary and European perspective. These privileges provided exclusive rights for the production of books and images; they can be considered one of the precursors of what we now call copyrights.
Historical Context
Introduced around 1470, shortly after the invention of the printing press, privileges were abolished around 1789, when new notions of ownership emerged alongside new ideas about political representation. The BE4COPY project studies the changing nature of the printing privilege over the course of these turbulent 300 years.
Focus of the Project
The intimate relationship between legal frameworks and the politics of knowledge is the primary focus of the project. Although numerous studies have examined printing privileges in their local context, there are to date no historical studies that have examined how different European systems of printing privileges were interrelated.
Objectives
BE4COPY will change that and thus contribute to a better understanding of the origins of copyrights as a specific form of shared European heritage. It does so by:
- Examining the distribution of printing privileges on a European scale, exposing existing trade routes and political alliances.
- Rethinking the relationship between legal protection and political interests.
Research Questions
The project seeks to address several key questions:
- How did shifting discourses of expertise and stewardship influence the proprietorship of intellectual creations?
- How did the interplay between law, economy, and politics shape the production of knowledge?
- How did authorship and ownership eventually emerge in that context as twin categories?
Methodology
BE4COPY employs an innovative archive-based approach centered around the cross-cutting themes of:
- Censorship and Promotion
- Travelling Ideas and People
- Authorship and Readership
Conclusion
The project adds a new layer to our evolving understanding of copyright and opens up new perspectives regarding the question of how knowledge was produced and shared in early modern Europe.
Financiële details & Tijdlijn
Financiële details
Subsidiebedrag | € 1.499.099 |
Totale projectbegroting | € 1.499.099 |
Tijdlijn
Startdatum | 1-9-2022 |
Einddatum | 31-8-2027 |
Subsidiejaar | 2022 |
Partners & Locaties
Projectpartners
- UNIVERSITETET I OSLOpenvoerder
Land(en)
Vergelijkbare projecten binnen European Research Council
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Promiscuous Print: Legal Deposit Libraries, Rejected Texts, and New Methods for Negative Bibliography
PROMPRINT analyzes rejected texts from legal deposit libraries to uncover gaps in archival collections and enhance understanding of literary canonization and preservation practices.
Widows in the Growing Print Industry, c. 1550-1700
WidowsPrint aims to reconstruct the contributions of widows in the early modern German print industry by analyzing print runs and economic agency, revealing their impact on book production and professional networks.
Manuscript Culture in the Age of Print
The PRIMA project aims to redefine Early Modern Europe's manuscript culture by uncovering its significance in literature and science, challenging the dominance of print through innovative research methods.
Petrification of ius commune through printed paratexts
PetrIUS examines how the evolution of print and marginalia in legal texts from 1460-1620 consolidated medieval law, impacting legal communication and scholarly knowledge transfer.
Black Narratives of Transcultural Appropriation: Constructing Afropean Worlds, Questioning European Foundations
This project explores the innovative Black literary tradition engaging with Europe, using transcultural appropriation to reveal complex narratives of identity, heritage, and colonial history.