How much can I copy from a book?

For personal use you may make one or a few copies of articles or other minor documents. When copying from a normal sized book, e.g. a course book, you are only permitted to copy limited parts of the book.

There is no precise definition of “limited parts”. However, the text of the government bill (2004/05:110 p. 383 f) provides some guidance:

"A limited part is always deemed to be a small part of the work (=book) and not half, nor nearly half, of the work. Naturally it is not acceptable to circumvent this rule by making a copy of a limited part of a work one day and another part the following day."

You are personally responsible both for interpreting the law and any legal consequences of breaking this rule.

There is a special agreement for the copying of materials at universities and university colleges. This means that teachers and students are allowed to copy works digitally and analogously and use the material for teaching. Detailed information about, for instance, who is allowed to make copies, how much can be copied, and what can be copied is available on Bonus Copyright Access’ website: Bonus Copyright Access on the copying of materials at university colleges and universities.