About the project

Printing privileges were introduced around 1470, shortly after the invention of the printing press. They were abolished around 1789, when new notions of ownership emerged alongside new ideas about political representation. 

The researchers in the BE4COPY project study the changing nature of the printing privilege over the course of these turbulent 300 years.

The intimate relationship between legal frameworks and the politics of knowledge is the primary focus of the project.

Extended abstract

Sub-projects

BE4COPY consists of several sub-projects with a particular focus on : 

• The Holy Roman Empire 
• Scandinavia 
• The Low Countries 
• Italian States
• Spanish Empire
• England and France 

Each sub-project will be informed and contribute to the project’s digital platform, which analyses the dynamic processes of knowledge transfer using multi-layered networks.

Duration

01.09.2022 to 31.08.2027

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^{Funded by the European Union (ERC, BE4COPY, 101042034). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.}