Quoting is also permitted. Anyone is allowed to directly reproduce parts of published works to explain, illustrate or refer to something specific. This can be from books, lectures, pieces of music or films. For a long time, there had been controversy surrounding whether quoting works of art and photographs is also covered by the law. The dispatch on the revision clarified that, if the conditions provided by the law are fulfilled, it is possible to quote these categories of works.

The law permits quotation under the following conditions: the quotation must serve as an explanation, illustration or a reference and should be no longer than necessary. In addition, the quotation must be designated as such and the source must be given. Where the source refers to the author, they must also be named.

Example: In an article on Friedrich Dürrenmatt, you may quote from the writer’s works, biographies or studies if you are using the quotations to illustrate your points. However, you are not covered by the right to quote if you simply decorate your article with photographs of Dürrenmatt without specifically making reference to these photos.