Copyright is the exclusive right an author has to his or her own intellectual creations. The author decides on the type, form and point in time for publishing and grants the publisher the corresponding rights of use, which must be paid for. Copyright can only be transferred to another person as part of an inheritance. In the technical commercial sector (Technology, Businesses) we speak of patents, utility patents and trademarks.

The German version of the Code Civil or Napoleon Code made copyright law on German territory for the first time. The Code came into force in France in 1804 and was published as the law of the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1809, constituting an important collection of laws and practical instructions for courts in the whole of France’s sphere of influence. In its extensive presentation of civil law, it laid down civil rights of freedom in the spirit of the French Revolution which still continue to influence legislation in today’s liberal democracies.