Distributionsrätt

Distributionsrätt, or the distribution right, is a component of copyright law that grants the rightsholder exclusive authority to make copies of a protected work available to the public by sale, rental, lease, lending, or other forms of distribution. The right applies to both physical copies, such as books, CDs and films, and digital copies transmitted over the internet. In Sweden, the distribution right is codified in the Swedish Copyright Act (Lag (1960:729) om upphovsrätt till litterära och konstnärliga verk) and mirrors the provisions of the European Union’s Information Society Directive, which harmonises the protection of distribution rights across member states.

The holder of the distribution right may authorize or prohibit third parties from distributing the work, and may grant licences on a non‑exclusive or exclusive basis. Collective management organisations frequently manage these licences on behalf of authors and publishers, especially for large catalogues. Exceptions to the distribution right exist, for example for private copying, library lending, and certain educational uses, provided that statutory remuneration is paid where required.

The term of protection for the distribution right coincides with the overall term of copyright, generally the life of the author plus seventy years after death. Infringement can be pursued through civil actions, criminal sanctions, or administrative measures, and remedies may include injunctions, damages, and the seizure of infringing copies. With the rise of digital platforms, the scope of the distribution right has expanded to cover online streaming, downloads, and cloud‑based services, prompting ongoing legislative updates to address new technological challenges.