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Aldus Manutius's Petition against Counterfeiters, Venice (1502)
Source: Scanned from the manuscript held in the Venetian State Archives: ASV, Senato Terra, reg. 14, c. 112r.
Citation:
Aldus Manutius's Petition against Counterfeiters, Venice (1502), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
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1 translated page
Chapter 1 Page 1
1502, October
To the most serene Doge and excellent Senate: While Aldo Romano has lived in this city for many
years, and with the help of God has printed many books in Greek and Latin with great expense and effort,
he nevertheless continues to print them with such great diligence and correctness as no one has ever
shown apart from him, even if he has to spend some 200 ducats every month. And because he has created
Greek type-fonts with ligatures which look as if they had been made with a pen, and many other wonderful
inventions and devices, and still more recently he devised the finest chancery or cursive Latin types
that look as if they had been written by hand. With these he has printed, and continues to print, many
books with marvellous diligence and correctness, which is praised by everyone, for it brings great benefit
and honour to this splendid city. And yet he has been robbed of his efforts, and his inventions are being
corrupted, as it happened in Brescia where they copied one of his works with a false Florentine imprint.
At this very moment his types are being counterfeited and taken to Lyon where they are used to produce
forged copies, and even worse, his own name Aldo Romano was put on them with his dedication and inscription:
Printed in Venice in the House of Aldo Romano. And there are so many errors in them that this is most
shameful to this Dominion as well as for the supplicant himself. Therefore, in order to continue delivering
this worthy and useful endeavour to the whole world, [he] begs this most solemn Senate that no one but him
may make, counterfeit, or print books with his Greek and Latin chancery types and any other such types he
might devise in future, nor to bring counterfeited prints from foreign lands into this dominion for the next
ten years, on pain of loss of the types and books and 200 ducats each time they are counterfeited, these
fines to be paid so that a third goes to a charitable institution, a third to the executors, and another to
the accuser. Even though this supplicant has already obtained privileges from our Illustrious Serenity for
the aforementioned Greek and Latin cursive types, and for the books printed with them, his great determination
neverthelses compells him to beseech again this magnificent Senate to favour his request for the benefit of
all men of letters. Although [the supplicant] hopes that with divine help he will be able to invest more
assets in print, it would be damaging to good books if he could not secure his revenues. He therefore pleads
support of Your Serenity and of this most prudent Council, which God shall save and maintain forever.
18 October
In favour 103
Against 16
Non sincere 3
Translation by: Joanna Kostylo
Source: Scanned from the manuscript held in the Venetian State Archives: ASV, Senato Terra, reg. 14, c. 112r.
Citation:
Aldus Manutius's Petition against Counterfeiters, Venice (1502), Primary Sources on Copyright (1450-1900), eds L. Bently & M. Kretschmer, www.copyrighthistory.org
Back | Record | Images | No Commentaries
Translation only | Transcription only | Show all | Bundled images as pdf
1 translated page
Chapter 1 Page 1
1502, October
To the most serene Doge and excellent Senate: While Aldo Romano has lived in this city for many
years, and with the help of God has printed many books in Greek and Latin with great expense and effort,
he nevertheless continues to print them with such great diligence and correctness as no one has ever
shown apart from him, even if he has to spend some 200 ducats every month. And because he has created
Greek type-fonts with ligatures which look as if they had been made with a pen, and many other wonderful
inventions and devices, and still more recently he devised the finest chancery or cursive Latin types
that look as if they had been written by hand. With these he has printed, and continues to print, many
books with marvellous diligence and correctness, which is praised by everyone, for it brings great benefit
and honour to this splendid city. And yet he has been robbed of his efforts, and his inventions are being
corrupted, as it happened in Brescia where they copied one of his works with a false Florentine imprint.
At this very moment his types are being counterfeited and taken to Lyon where they are used to produce
forged copies, and even worse, his own name Aldo Romano was put on them with his dedication and inscription:
Printed in Venice in the House of Aldo Romano. And there are so many errors in them that this is most
shameful to this Dominion as well as for the supplicant himself. Therefore, in order to continue delivering
this worthy and useful endeavour to the whole world, [he] begs this most solemn Senate that no one but him
may make, counterfeit, or print books with his Greek and Latin chancery types and any other such types he
might devise in future, nor to bring counterfeited prints from foreign lands into this dominion for the next
ten years, on pain of loss of the types and books and 200 ducats each time they are counterfeited, these
fines to be paid so that a third goes to a charitable institution, a third to the executors, and another to
the accuser. Even though this supplicant has already obtained privileges from our Illustrious Serenity for
the aforementioned Greek and Latin cursive types, and for the books printed with them, his great determination
neverthelses compells him to beseech again this magnificent Senate to favour his request for the benefit of
all men of letters. Although [the supplicant] hopes that with divine help he will be able to invest more
assets in print, it would be damaging to good books if he could not secure his revenues. He therefore pleads
support of Your Serenity and of this most prudent Council, which God shall save and maintain forever.
18 October
In favour 103
Against 16
Non sincere 3
Translation by: Joanna Kostylo