On Friday, 28 June, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland passed an amendment to the Copyright and Related Rights Act by a large majority, which provides film makers and actors with, among other things, long-awaited royalties from the internet. In addition, even before the vote, an amendment that was unfavourable to the entire community regarding the definition of broadcasting and re-broadcasting and the introduction of direct.
It is a great day for the entire Polish film community. Today, 28 June, during the 14th session of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the Draft Act amending the Act on Copyright and Related Rights was adopted. This legal act, which is extremely important for filmmakers, implements the DSM EU directive into Polish law, ensuring that film makers and actors receive appropriate and proportional remuneration from streaming services, i.e. the long-awaited internet royalties.
As many as 417 MPs voted in favour of the adoption of the bill, only 18 MPs voted against it, and only one person abstained. Earlier, even before the start of the vote, the Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, on behalf of the ‘Polska 2050’ club, withdrew an amendment detrimental to the audiovisual market regarding the definition of broadcasting and retransmission as well as direct introduction.
We are grateful to the Polish parliamentarians for standing up for Polish culture today. The amendment to the Copyright and Related Rights Act, which was passed today, finally ensures that filmmakers and actors receive decent remuneration for the use of their works on the internet. In view of how the audiovisual market has changed in recent years and the digital transformation that has taken place in it, this regulation was simply a necessity. It should also be emphasised that today's victory in the Sejm is a great success for Polish filmmakers, which would not have been possible without the solidarity and commitment of almost the entire Polish audiovisual community. The unity of all film industry professionals, including creators, actors, producers, young and old, in a common cause is truly admirable,’ says Dominik Skoczek, director of the Polish Audiovisual Authors and Producers Association (ZAPA).
The next stage in the legislative process is for the bill to be considered by the Senate. The bill is expected to be considered by the Senate Committee for Culture and the Media in the coming days.