Estonian writer Katrin Pauts: everyone is equal before the law, Mutt should not have published Viiding's farewell letters

Estonian writer Katrin Pauts (spelled Паутс in the Russian source) criticised the conduct of author Mihkel Mutt on ETV's programme "Impulss". In her view, Mutt, though a respected writer, acted wrongly by publishing poet Juhan Viiding's farewell letters in full in his book. The case has sparked a debate in Estonia about copyright and the rights of heirs.

The controversy over the book

Mutt's 400-page book "The Gospel According to Juhan", devoted to Viiding's life and work, came out in September. In early October, the publication LP ran an interview with the poet's daughter Elo, who said her father's farewell letters had been published without the heirs' consent.

On 10 October, on the Vikerraadio programme "Read and Written", Mutt explained that he had first thought the matter fell under personal data protection, but later realised it was about copyright. He admitted he could have simply retold the letters' contents, but wanted to preserve Viiding's distinctive style. Mutt also said he did not ask for permission because he believed the rights holders would refuse, and that he knowingly took a risk.

On 20 October, Mutt said on social media that he had been asked to withdraw the book from sale immediately. The heirs' representative, Ants Nõmper, said that publishing another author's work without the consent of the author or heirs is a clear violation of the law.

Pauts's assessment

Pauts stressed that everyone should be equal before the law and that no exceptions should be made for Mutt. She said the discovery could have been a strong emotional blow to the heirs. She also voiced strong rejection of a dismissive attitude toward copyright law.

Earlier cases

According to the source, one of the best-known earlier disputes was in 2011, when an entrepreneur reissued Silver Anniko's novel "Fists" without the heirs' consent; a court ordered nearly 5,000 pirated copies destroyed. Heirs have also sought changes to Diana Klas's biographical book about Jüri Aarma: the parties reached a compromise after court proceedings, yet the book remains on sale unchanged. Separately, relatives of singer Jaak Joala considered the monument to him in Viljandi an insult to his honour, and it was moved to a museum storage facility.