2024-05-05T11:05:15Z
https://www.copyrighthistory.org/cam/tools/oai_pmh/oai
https://www.copyrighthistory.org/cam/tools/request/showRecord.php?id=record_d_1479Privilege of the Prince-Bishop of WürzburgPrivilege granted by Rudolf of Scherenberg, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg for the Printers Reyser, Dold and Beckenhub in a Breviary for the Würzburg DioceseBreviarium HerbipolenseRudolf of Scherenberg (c.1401-1495)In the foreword, Prince-Bishop Rudolf (c.1400-1495), together with two ministers and the whole diocesan chapter of Würzburg Cathedral, explains why they had commissioned a new edition of the breviary. Reference is made to three printers commissioned to edit and print this book for its use within the diocese. The three printers, who were recruited from Strasbourg, are granted protection of their property, and it is specified that they alone have been commissioned to do this work. Thus, the foreword contains the first exclusive right bestowed on a printer in the German Empire with regard to a specific book. Furthermore, it is the oldest episcopal privilege, as well as appearing to be the first one to have been embellished with, and authorised through, a sovereign prince's emblem. In this commentary it will be argued that the integrity and uniformity of the print edition were the prince-bishop's two main concerns, and it will be shown why Rudolf of Scherenberg is regarded to be one of the first sovereign rulers to make tactical use of the new art of printing, in order to achieve clerical and political goals. This foreword of 1479 illustrates the common roots of copyright, trademark practice, and censorship.dataset1479Dold, Reyser, BeckenhubLatinUniversitätsbibliothek Würzburg, Inc. f. 43, fol 38.representation_d_1479Würzburgrecord_d_1511drecord_d_1485renewalreligious workspublic goodprivileges, printingprivileges, German Imperialprivilegesprinting, history ofpatronagelicensingcontractcensorshipbooks, protected subject matterWürzburg Cathedral ChapterWilhelm of LimburgRudolf of ScherenbergGeorg ReyserStephan DoldCilian of BibraJohannes Beckenhub