The idea of conducting an in-depth assessment of authors’ remuneration is not new; it has been inspired by similar research initiatives carried out in leading international academic centres. One such example is the annual, large-scale study conducted by the Centre for Regulation of the Creative Economy (CREATe) in Glasgow.
The report “Law and Culture: Authors’ Remuneration” seeks to address questions that have emerged in public debate regarding authors’ pay. We chose to focus specifically on this issue for several reasons. First, the Polish legal system does not regulate the professional status of authors. Despite initial regulatory efforts, no comprehensive legislation has yet been adopted to govern the employment, remuneration, and protection of professional artists. As a result, many authors rely on the Act of 4 February 1994 on Copyright and Related Rights (hereinafter: “Copyright Act”) as the primary legal framework for their income-generating activities. Second, existing research indicates a high degree of diversification in authors’ employment and income sources in Poland—from employment contracts, through various civil law agreements (such as contracts for specific work, service contracts, and mandate contracts), to self-employment across diverse sectors of the economy. Due to organisational constraints, our study focused on a single type of remuneration, which we linked to copyright law. Preliminary consultations with representatives of artistic associations (including the Polish Writers’ Union (Unia Literacka), ZAIKS, and visual artists) confirmed the relevance of this approach.
The pilot study was designed and conducted in cooperation with the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association. Its aim was to identify key challenges related to authors’ remuneration in the music sector, assess performers’ awareness of copyright law (including classical musicians, performers, and chamber artists), and examine copyright contracts used in this field. Based on the pilot findings, we developed initial conclusions and a framework for expanding the research to other areas of the creative sector, including design, graphic arts, literature, and journalism.
The quantitative research was carried out in collaboration with BBS Obserwator (Kraków), which contributed to the development of the survey questionnaire, research design, and identification of target groups and sample size. A detailed analysis of both the pilot and quantitative studies is presented in the second part of the report.
The pilot survey was conducted with the support of the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association, the Polish Writers’ Union, ZAIKS, and the Polish Filmmakers Association. The quantitative survey was conducted on a broader sample using the CATI method between October and November 2025.
This research was funded by the flagship Future Law Lab project under the Strategic Programme “Excellence Initiative” at the Jagiellonian University, as well as by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Science Centre, and the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association. The quantitative study (including data collection, support, and coding) was carried out with the assistance of BBS Obserwator.
Authors:
Monika Bolińska
Ewa Laskowska-Litak
Grzegorz Mania
Michalina Szafrańska
Full report: https://spmk.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/raport-R2S-wynagrodzenia-final.pdf
ISBN: 978-83-960330-3-1