Copyright rules in Sweden

Get to grips with the framework of copyright law in Sweden with the 2018 TerraLex Cross-Border Copyright Guide.

What are the main sources of copyright law in Sweden?

The main source of copyright legislation in Sweden is the Act on Copyright in Literary and Artistic Works (1960:729) (The Copyright Act). The Copyright Act has been amended regularly over the years, with the last amendment occurring on 1 July 2017. Statutes are the predominant source of copyright law, complemented by the preparatory work for the statutes, and their amendments, and case law.

As Sweden is a member of the European Union, the interpretation and application of Swedish legislation by the judiciary has to be read in accordance with European Directives and Regulations which have direct effect. As in other countries within the Union, the Swedish courts and other EU national courts frequently refer questions of law to the European Court of Justice, whose decisions are binding for the national courts.

To find out more about subsistence of copyright, ownership, infringement, remedies, enforcement and copyright reform in Sweden, download the full chapter below.