• An inquiry into Swedish copyright law was launched in 2008.sweden flag button image by Andrey Zyk from Fotolia.com
  
  Sweden's Copyright Act was approved in 1960 and has been amended several times since. It is intended to protect the rights of creators with regard to their works. As with the copyright law in many other regions, the artist or originator generally holds the right to decide how her work is used. However, there are some considerations to take into account regarding Swedish copyright law, especially since the Swedish government appointed an inquiry into the law in 2008.
  
  

Basics

• According to the Government Offices of Sweden, "Compositions in speech or in writing, computer programmes, databases, musical and stage works, works of pictorial art, architectural art, applied art--as well as all types of spiritual creation of a literary or artistic work--are protected by copyright law." The law designates that the creators or artists behind the work have "the right to decide how their literary or artistic works are to be used."
  
  

Works

• Swedish copyright law further specifies that to receive protection by copyright law a work of art must have fulfilled certain artistic standards. The Government Offices of Sweden explain that "the work should display originality or individuality as a result of the originators personal making." Therefore it is the artist's unique mode of expression that receives protection, "not the ideas or facts that the work may contain."
  
  

Economic Rights

• The artist or originator of the work holds the decision of whether the work will be reproduced. If desired, the originator may prohibit reproduction of the work. Furthermore, the artist also holds "the right to make the work available to the general public," which means that he can allow public viewing of the work and "distribute copies" of it.
  
  

Non-Economic Rights

• By copyright law, the artist or originator has the right to be associated by name with the artistic work. Furthermore, the artist possesses "the right to respect for the work," which stipulates that the work cannot be changed or distributed to the public in a manner that is "damaging to the originator's literary or artistic reputation or distinctive character."
  
  

Exceptions

• Non-economic rights must always be respected, but there are some exceptions to the artist's economic rights. "In certain cases permission may be given to use works, notwithstanding the economic rights of copyright protection" states the Government Offices of Sweden, though the specific cases are not elaborated. Economic rights, in opposition to non-economic rights, are transferable to other persons and/or agencies. For example, a record company may hold the economic copyright to an album recorded by an artist, though the artist still possesses non-economic copyrights. In addition, the copyright is valid during the originator's life and for 70 years following her death.
  
  

Inquiry of 2008

• In 2008 the Swedish government launched a Special Commission of Inquiry into Sweden's copyright laws, which included a review of the entirety of the Copyright Act. The 2008 inquiry marks the first time the Copyright Act has been rethought in its entirety.