# Law No. 7300 of March 27, 1985

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105650360](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105650360)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-7300-of-march-27-1985

## Summary
Law No. 7300 of March 27, 1985 is a Brazilian statute that equates journalistic companies with cinematographic companies for purposes of civil and criminal liability. Promulgated by President José Sarney in Brasília, this federal law establishes a specific legal framework for media enterprise responsibility during Brazil's transition from military rule to democracy. The law is officially cited as Lei nº 7300/1985 and remains accessible through the Brazilian government's legislative portal.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 7300, de 27 de março de 1985
- **Publication Date:** March 27, 1985
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Promulgating Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil under President José Sarney
- **Legal Classification:** Federal statute (lei federal)
- **Core Provision:** Equates journalistic companies to cinematographic companies for civil and criminal liability purposes
- **Jurisdictional Scope:** Applies throughout the entire Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1985-03-27;7300
- **Official Legal Citation:** Lei nº 7300/1985
- **Primary URL:** https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1980-1988/l7300.htm
- **Wikidata Description:** Brazilian law
- **Wikimedia Project Tracking:** Subject of WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Main Subjects Covered:** Regulamentação (Regulamentation), Aquisição (purchasing), Estrangeiro (foreigner), Proibição (prohibition), Alteração (change), Normas (legal norm), Inclusão (addition)

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 7300 of March 27, 1985?**
Law No. 7300 is a Brazilian federal statute promulgated on March 27, 1985, that establishes civil and criminal liability standards for journalistic companies by equating them with cinematographic companies. It was enacted during the early days of Brazil's redemocratization process under President José Sarney.

**What specific legal change does this law create?**
The law creates a direct legal equivalence between journalistic enterprises and cinematographic companies for liability purposes, meaning media organizations face the same civil and criminal responsibility standards as film production companies under Brazilian law.

**Who approved this law and through what process?**
President José Sarney approved the law through promulgation on March 27, 1985, exercising the executive authority of the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil to enact federal legislation.

**Where can the official text of Law 7300 be accessed?**
The complete official text is available at the URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1980-1988/l7300.htm, hosted on the Brazilian government's legislative information portal.

**What is the LexML identifier for this law?**
The law carries the LexML Brazil identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1985-03-27;7300, which provides a permanent, standardized URI for legal citation and retrieval.

**What are the main legal subjects addressed in this statute?**
The statute addresses seven primary subjects: regulamentation, purchasing, foreigner status, prohibition, change, legal norms, and addition, each representing different aspects of the regulatory framework established by the law.

**How is this law formally cited in legal documents?**
Legal practitioners cite this statute as "Lei nº 7300/1985" in court filings, academic works, and official correspondence, following Brazilian legal citation conventions.

**What type of legal document is Law No. 7300?**
Law No. 7300 is a federal statute (lei federal), which is a formal written document that creates law through legislative enactment and serves as a manifestation of statutory law in Brazil's legal system.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 7300 of March 27, 1985 represents a significant legal development in Brazilian media law by creating a direct liability equivalence between journalistic and cinematographic companies. This statutory framework established clear civil and criminal responsibility standards for media enterprises during a critical transitional period in Brazilian history, as the nation moved from two decades of military rule toward democratic governance. The law's promulgation under President José Sarney—who assumed office in 1985 as Brazil's first civilian president after the military regime—places it within the foundational legal reforms of the redemocratization era.

The statute matters because it provided judicial authorities and legal practitioners with explicit statutory language for holding journalistic organizations accountable under the same liability standards applied to film production companies. This equivalence likely influenced how courts interpreted media responsibility, corporate liability, and the legal obligations of news organizations in subsequent cases. By codifying these standards in 1985, the law predates many modern debates about media accountability, fake news, and journalistic responsibility that would emerge decades later with digital media.

Furthermore, the law's inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws indicates its recognized importance within Brazil's legislative corpus and its ongoing relevance for legal research and documentation. The statute's availability through the official Planalto portal ensures public access to the text, supporting transparency and the rule of law. Its LexML identifier enables precise digital retrieval and citation, facilitating integration with Brazil's modern legal information systems. The law also reflects the Sarney administration's early efforts to establish clear regulatory frameworks for key sectors as Brazil rebuilt democratic institutions.

## Notable For
- **Specific Liability Equivalence:** Uniquely equates journalistic companies directly with cinematographic companies for both civil and criminal liability purposes, creating a distinct legal standard not commonly found in other jurisdictions
- **Historical Timing:** Enacted during the first months of Brazil's redemocratization, representing early legislative action by the Sarney administration following 21 years of military rule
- **LexML Standardization:** Assigned the permanent identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1985-03-27;7300 under Brazil's LexML system for uniform legal document identification
- **Multi-Subject Coverage:** Addresses seven distinct legal subjects (regulamentation, purchasing, foreigner, prohibition, change, legal norm, addition) within a single statute, demonstrating comprehensive regulatory approach
- **Wikimedia Documentation:** Formally tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws, indicating its recognized status among Brazil's legislative collection
- **Digital Accessibility:** Maintained on the official Planalto government portal with a direct URL since at least 2021, ensuring continuous public access
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Directly promulgated by President José Sarney on the same date as its official publication, March 27, 1985
- **Federal Scope:** Applies as a federal statute across all states and the Federal District of Brazil, establishing nationwide uniformity in media liability standards

## Body

### Overview and Legal Classification
Law No. 7300 of March 27, 1985 is a Brazilian federal statute that establishes a legal equivalence between journalistic companies and cinematographic companies for purposes of civil and criminal liability. As a statute, it represents a formal written document that creates law through legislative enactment, functioning as a manifestation of statutory law within Brazil's legal system. The law is classified as an instance of a statute, which is itself a subclass of written work, document, and rule in legal taxonomy. This classification places the law within the broader category of legal terms and concepts that serve as foundational instruments of governance.

### Legislative History and Promulgation
President José Sarney promulgated Law No. 7300 on March 27, 1985, through the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The promulgation date matches the publication date, indicating immediate effect upon presidential approval. This timing places the law within the first year of Sarney's presidency, which began after the end of Brazil's military dictatorship. The law was published in Brasília, the federal capital, which has served as Brazil's administrative center since April 22, 1960. The determination method for the law's enactment is recorded as "promulgation," the standard process by which Brazilian presidents give final approval to legislation.

### Scope and Subject Matter
The law's core provision, as stated in its digest, equates journalistic companies with cinematographic companies for civil and criminal liability. This creates a direct legal parallel between media enterprises and film production companies, establishing uniform responsibility standards across these sectors. The statute addresses seven specific legal subjects: regulamentation (Regulamentação), purchasing (Aquisição), foreigner (Estrangeiro), prohibition (Proibição), change (Alteração), legal norm (Normas), and addition (Inclusão). Each subject represents a component of the regulatory framework, with the Portuguese terms recorded as "stated_as" qualifiers in the legislative metadata.

### Jurisdictional and Linguistic Context
Law No. 7300 applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil, encompassing all 26 states and the Federal District. The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of the Federative Republic. Brazil's status as a federal republic with a presidential system means this federal statute supersedes any conflicting state or local regulations regarding media liability. The law's application across Brazil's vast territory—covering approximately 8.5 million km² and a population that reached approximately 213.4 million by 2025—demonstrates its nationwide impact.

### Legal Citation and Identification
The statute is formally cited as Lei nº 7300/1985 in legal practice. It carries the LexML Brazil identifier urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1985-03-27;7300, which provides a permanent, machine-readable URI for precise legal referencing. LexML is Brazil's standard for legal document markup and identification, enabling integration with digital legal information systems. The law is also tracked within Wikidata as a Brazilian law entity and is included in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia initiative focused on documenting Brazil's legislative framework.

### Digital Access and Preservation
The full text of Law No. 7300 is available at the official URL https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1980-1988/l7300.htm, maintained by the Brazilian government's legislative portal. This accessibility aligns with Brazil's commitment to open government and public access to legal texts. The law's publication date of March 27, 1985 places it within the 1980-1988 legislative series on the portal, reflecting the chronological organization of Brazil's federal statutes from that era.

### Metadata and Authority Control
The law's metadata includes references dated January 28, 2021, and February 17, 2021, indicating recent verification of its details. The source references point to both the LexML system and the official presidency legislation database. As a federal statute, Law No. 7300 is part of Brazil's statutory law, which consists of formal written documents created through legislation. The law functions as a legal norm and is composed of provisions that regulate specific aspects of media enterprise liability, contributing to the broader body of Brazilian civil and criminal law.

### Relationship to Brazilian Legal Framework
Law No. 7300 operates within Brazil's constitutional structure established by the 1988 Constitution, which was promulgated three years after this statute. During its enactment in 1985, Brazil was governed by transitional constitutional arrangements following the end of military rule. The law's focus on journalistic companies places it within the context of press freedom and media regulation debates that intensified during redemocratization. By establishing liability standards, the statute provided judicial authorities with concrete legal tools for adjudicating cases involving media organizations, potentially influencing subsequent legislation on press freedom, corporate responsibility, and freedom of expression as Brazil's democracy matured.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1985-03-27;7300)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=7300&ano=1985&data=27/03/1985&ato=a85ITWq5keBpWT37b)
3. LexML Brasil