World Book and Copyright Day: How This Day Made It Into History
When and why World Book and Copyright Day came to be.
Every year on April 23, the world celebrates World Book and Copyright Day — a holiday whose main goal is to honor the power of the written word, promote reading, and draw attention to protecting intellectual property. The day was established thanks to UNESCO back in November 1995.
The DeTalks team looked into what the holiday means and why its significance keeps growing.
The History Behind the Holiday
The tradition of celebrating Book Day began in Catalonia, and the idea for the holiday belonged to writer and editor Vicent Clavel Andrés of Valencia. In 1926, Spanish King Alfonso XIII supported his proposal and signed a decree that initially established Spanish Book Day.
The celebration was originally set for October 7, but the date was moved to April 23 as early as 1930. This day wasn't chosen by accident: it marks the death of several eminent authors — William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
Alongside the history of the holiday's origins, the concept of copyright was also developing — its roots tied to the emergence of book printing. The first state acts protecting copyright concerned literary works specifically, and the first international agreements were aimed at protecting the interests of book publishers. An important step was the emergence of the 'Statute of Anne,' adopted in 1709 in England, which first established authors' rights, distinguishing their authority from that of publishers.
Holiday Traditions
One of the main traditions of World Book and Copyright Day is selecting a World Book Capital. Every year, UNESCO, together with international organizations representing the book industry's three branches — publishing, bookselling, and libraries — selects a city that becomes, for one year, a hub for promoting literature and reading.
That city commits to organizing events aimed at engaging a broad audience in reading, supporting the publishing industry, and ensuring access to literature for all segments of the population. This year, that's Rio de Janeiro: the Brazilian city is carrying out a project that will demonstrate books' impact on social change — education, literacy development, poverty reduction, and building sustainable economic development.
Copyright in Ukraine
Copyright protection in Ukraine rests on a solid legal foundation. The main document is Ukraine's Law 'On Copyright and Related Rights,' adopted in 1993 and adapted to meet international standards. The law defines authors' rights to use their works, the procedure for acquiring and exercising copyright, and liability for violations. In 2022, though, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a new version of it, incorporating more European Union legal norms and strengthening copyright protection amid the internet's rapid growth.
Beyond this, copyright in Ukraine is also governed by the Civil Code, the Law 'On Intellectual Property,' the Law 'On Accession to the Universal Copyright Convention,' and a number of other international agreements, including the Berne Convention and the WIPO Copyright Treaty.
The Importance of Copyright
World Book and Copyright Day is a reminder that as digital content has grown more popular, cases of illegal copying and use of works without authors' consent have significantly increased. This can cause financial harm and discourage writers, poets, translators, and others from creating new creative work.
Copyright protection, meanwhile, lets authors retain control over their own work and decide for themselves who has the right to use their work, where, and how.