Copyright law of Poland

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Poland’s copyright is mainly governed by the Act on Copyright and Related Rights, adopted in 1994. The modern system began with a 1926 act; before that, during the partitions, copyright was handled by the ruling states. Poland joined the Berne Convention in 1919, soon after regaining independence in 1918. Polish copyright law also follows European Union rules and directives.

Key points about Polish copyright rules

- Public domain for old photographs: under the 1926 and 1952 rules, photographs by Polish photographers printed without a clear copyright notice before May 23, 1994 were in the public domain, and that status continued after 1994. Other time-based rules from those laws also existed (for example, photographs or groups of photographs losing protection after a set number of years).
- 1994 law and government works: the 1994 Act states that government symbols, documents, materials and signs are not subject to copyright. However, their use may be regulated by other laws. The status of postage stamps is debated.
- Freedom for published images of public works: the law allows propagation of works that are permanently displayed in public spaces (roads, streets, squares, gardens) as long as the use is not for the same purpose as the original work. If possible, credit the creator and source; such use is royalty-free and should not harm the creator’s legitimate interests.
- Freedom of panorama: Poland provides broad freedom to photograph and distribute images of works displayed in public places. Photos, pictures or their distributions in any media (including video games and apps) are allowed as long as the use is not for the same purpose as the original work. Credit to the creator is recommended when possible.