World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Day) is observed on April 23, 2025. The annually celebrated day is organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. It was first celebrated in 1995.
The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. Nowadays the World Book and Copyright Day is observed in over 100 countries, where schools, private businesses, voluntary organizations and lots of more people and groups come together to pay a tribute to authors and books.
In 1995, UNESCO decided that on this date the World Book and Copyright Day should be celebrated because of the Catalonian festival and because the date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare and some other authors.
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time. It is "the right to copy", but also gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work and other, related rights. It is an intellectual property form.
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