About Sanasto

What is Sanasto?

Sanasto is a Finnish literary copyright society founded in 2005. Our aim is to make it possible for authors and translators to live off their work and to provide users of literary works licences with which the use of literature is simple and easy.

Sanasto manages collected levies for the use of literary works and distributes them to copyright holders. Sanasto provides authors and translators information and legal counselling on copyright issues. Becoming our client is free of charge.
Read more about becoming a client

We offer licences for the use of Finnish literary works. With our licence you can for example read texts to an audience, print literature as a part of playbills or other publications and broadcast literature on television and radio.
Contact us about a licence

Sanasto aims at influencing the public debate on copyright as well as related legislation in a manner that is advantageous to copyright holders. Sanasto monitors the development of copyright legislation in Finland and internationally and works for the development of the rights of writers and translators.

Our core values

Transparency
Activeness
Expertise

Our board

Sanasto’s member organisations are the Union of Finnish Writers, the Finnish Association of Nonfiction Writers, the Society of Swedish Authors in Finland and the Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters.

Sanasto is directed by a six-person board in which every member organisation has a representative. Our staff takes care of Sanasto’s daily functions.

Sanasto’s board 2024:

Chair
Mr. Peter Sandström, The Society for Swedish Authors in Finland

Members

Ms. Ilmi Villacís, The Union of Finnish Writers (deputy member Laura Honkasalo)
Ms. Laura Jänisniemi, The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (deputy member Kaijamari Sivill)
Ms. Paula Havaste, The Union of Finnish Writers (deputy member Virpi Hämeen-Anttila)
Mr. Rainer Oesch, The Finnish Association of Non-fiction Writers (deputy member Anne Mäntynen)
Mr. Mikko Niemelä, The Finnish Association of Non-fiction Writers (deputy member Sanna Haanpää)