Fair use of the copyright protected works for information and documentation centres (Article 30 of the Polish Act on Copyright and Related Rights)

Krzysztof Felchner - doktor nauk prawnych, Katedra Prawa Własności Intelektualnej Wydziału Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego; radca prawny.Pursuant to art. 30 of The Polish Act on Copyright and Related Rights of 1994, ”[para. 1] Information and documentation centres may prepare and disseminate their own documentation studies and single copies not larger than one publishing sheet of excerpts of published works. [para. 2] The author and the competent organization for collective copyright and related rights management shall be authorized to collect from the centres specified in paragraph 1 above, remuneration for paid access to copies of excerpts of works”.24 The interpretation of this fair use provision causes many doubts in current practice, especially whether it could constitute legal ground for the so called pressclipping (media monitoring) services. It is not clear what is exactly meant by the term “centre for information and documentation” and whether it is allowed to use copyright protected work via the internet. Therefore, repealing the quoted provision (alternatively novelizing it) is currently under discussion.Uniwersytet Jagielloński29-3