Kleine gedichten voor 'kleine discipelen'. Johannes Kinker bemiddelt bij een geschil over kopijrecht (1824)

A hitherto unknown letter written by Johannes Kinker in 1824 has turned up in the Bibliotheek van het Boekenvak (Library of the Booktrade), University of Amsterdam. The letter is not only of interest from a biographical point of view but illustrates the confusing state of affairs surrounding copyright law in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. King William I had reserved an important role for Dutch language teaching, Dutch literature and the national book trade in the integration process between the Northern and Southern parts of the realm. However, Kinker’s letter makes plain on a very practical level the deficiencies of the new copyright rules, which the King had signed into law in 1817, and the obstacles that hindered their implementation in the Southern provinces.