On Wednesday, 31 July, representatives of the film industry met with President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace. The topic of the talks was the amendment to the Copyright Act adopted last week by the Parliament, which is now awaiting only the signature of the head of state. It implements the EU's DSM Directive into Polish law and guarantees Polish audiovisual creators and performers long-awaited royalties from the internet.
New regulations allow for the introduction of copyright protection standards in Poland, which have long been in force in almost all of Europe. This legal act, which is extremely important for the entire creative industry, ensures that filmmakers receive royalties for the use of their works on streaming services. Poland is the last country in the European Union that has not yet implemented the directive's provisions into its law, which could result in high financial penalties amounting to millions of euros.
The delegation of the film community included:
Grzegorz Łoszewski – President of the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)
Dominik Skoczek – Director of the Polish Audiovisual Producers Alliance
Małgorzata Machczyńska – Polish Audiovisual Producers Alliance
Elżbieta Benkowska – Head of the SFP Youth Group
Ilona Łepkowska – screenwriter, film producer, representative of the Polish Screenwriters Guild
Edyta Duda-Olechowska – actress, screenwriter, representative of the Polish Screenwriters Guild
Agnieszka Smoczyńska – director and screenwriter, representative of the Polish Directors Guild
Irena Strzałkowska – film producer, President of the Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce
Piotr Śliskowski – cinematographer, chairman of the Polish Society of Cinematographers (PSC)
Bartosz Paduch – rdirector and screenwriter, chairman of the Directors‘ Circle of the SFP
Maksymilian Rogacki – actor, chairman of the Polish Actors’ Trade Union (ZZA)
Maria Dębska – actress
Magdalena Boczarska – actress
Mateusz Banasiuk – actor
Małgorzata Kożuchowska – actress
Maciej Musiał – actor
Teodor Kosch - screenwriter
Magdalena Zimecka - film producer
I am glad that President Andrzej Duda wanted to hear the opinion of the film community before making such an important decision. I think that the President was impressed by our determination and strong, united voice. The film coalition's arguments were met with understanding and confirmation that the right of authors to royalties is indisputable. We are optimistically awaiting the President's signature, said Grzegorz Łoszewski, President of the Polish Filmmakers Association.
During the meeting, a delegation of filmmakers and actors presented their arguments to President Andrzej Duda and explained why it is so important for the entire industry that the new regulations come into force as soon as possible. The filmmakers emphasised that the President's signing of the bill will be a breakthrough for Polish copyright law. It will also ensure the safety and necessary financial security of Polish artists, which will greatly benefit the entire Polish culture.
We are very grateful to the President for inviting us to the meeting and listening to our demands. The President could see that the film community is united and speaks with one voice because we have one goal in common: to level the playing field for Polish artists in the competitive digital film distribution market. Representatives of creators, actors and producers have jointly asked the President to sign the bill that will ensure the future of Polish audiovisual artists and Polish culture, said Dominik Skoczek, Director of the Polish Audiovisual Authors and Producers Association.