Legal Regulation of Pre-Revolutionary System of Limitations and Restrictions in Russian Copyright

The paper examines the development of the system of limitations and exceptions to the copyright in the Russian Empire beginning with the inception of the copyright in the state with the publication of the “Regulations on the Author’s Rights” closely linked to the Censorship Charter, and ending with the adoption of the 1911 Regulations “On Copyright”, which remained in effect until 1917 when the whole legislation of the Russian Empire was abolished after the October revolution. The article provides a description of the legal regulation of limitations on the exclusive author’s rights at three stages of its development – from 1828 to 1911, from 1857 to 1911, and from 1911 to 1917 – indicating the main features of pre-revolutionary legislation at each stage. Additional to this, modern and pre-revolutionary scholars’ views on the characteristic features of the content and legal technique of the relevant legislative acts are analyzed. It is concluded that many shortages for the earlier model had been suppressed with the enactment of the 1911 Regulations “On Copyright” aimed to the systematization of standards and the usage of foreign countries’ legislative practice.