In
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, copyright is regulated by the act from 1994.
The first Polish
copyright law
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, e ...
act has been enacted in 1926 (although copyright issues have been regulated on territories of
partitioned Poland in the 19th century by governments of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and
Austro-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, beginning with
the 1828 copyright law passed in Tsarist Russia). Poland signed the
Berne Convention in 1919, soon after regaining its independence in 1918.
The main acts that have regulated Polish copyright law have been:
::*''
Polish Copyright Law from 1926 (Polish original, amended version from 1935)'' (
Dz.U. RP 1935; Pos. 260)
::*''
Polish Copyright Law from 1926 (Polish original, amended in 1952)'' (Dz.U.52.34.234)
::*''
Polish Copyright Law from 4 February 1994 (Polish original)'' (Dz. U. nr 80 z 2000r. poz. 904)
::*''
Polish Copyright Law from 4 February 1994 (English)''
Polish copyright law complies to a large extent with legislation in European Union, see
EU Copyright Directive.
According to the Art.3 of
copyright law of March 29, 1926 (valid until 1952) and Art. 2 of
copyright law of July 10, 1952 of the People's Republic of Poland, all photographs by Polish photographers (or published for the first time in Poland or simultaneously in Poland and abroad) printed without a clear copyright notice before the law was changed on May 23, 1994 are public domain. Status of those photographs did not change after
Polish Copyright Law of February 4, 1994 was enacted. (See:
Template:PD-Polish)
According to the
Polish Copyright Law of February 4, 1994 (Article 4, case 2) "governmental symbols, documents, materials and signs are not subject to copyrights". However, in some instances the use of this image in Poland might be regulated by other laws. It is being
debated if postage stamps fall into this category. (See:
Template:PD-Polishsymbol)
According to the Art.21 of
copyright law of March 29, 1926 (valid until 1952) photographs lose copyright protection ten years after picture was taken. Series of scientific or artistic pictures lose copyright protection after 50 years. According to Art. 27 of
copyright law of July 10, 1952 (valid until May 23, 1994) photographs and series of photographs lose copyright protection ten years after publication date.
The copyright act from February 4, 1994 in article 33 point 1 allows
the propagation of works that are permanently exhibited on the publicly accessible roads, streets, squares or gardens provided that the propagation is not for the same use. The name of the creator and source should be provided if it is possible by article 34. This use is royalty free, provided that it does not harm the legitimate interests of the creator by article 34.
Polish copyright law prohibits copyright for:
# legislative acts and their official drafts,
# official documents, materials, logos and symbols,
# published patent specifications and industrial design specifications,
# simple press information.
Freedom of panorama
See also
*
Copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
*
Public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
*
Wikipedia:Copyright
*
Wikipedia:Public domain
External links
Protecting Intellectual Property in PolandFreedom of panorama in Poland
{{Authority control
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
Polish intellectual property law