Royalties for heirs
If you are the heir of a co-creator of an audiovisual work then most likely you have also inherited the right to royalties.
Royalties are otherwise known as rights to additional remuneration due to creators for the use of their works. These rights can be the subject of inheritance, both statutory and testamentary. They can also be subject to bequest.
Importantly - the rights are time-limited and remain vested as long as the audiovisual work in question is protected.
In the case of audiovisual works that ZAPA protects, author's economic rights expire 70 years after the death of the latest deceased co-author listed in the Copyright Act. This means in practice that almost all audiovisual works now enjoy copyright protection in Poland.
Therefore, if you are an heir:
- director
- screenwriter
- cameraman
- scenographer
- editor
- sound operator
- costume designer
- interior decorator
You should submit to our office a set of documents that will enable you to collect the royalties due.
Along with two copies of the contract, a personal data form, you should provide the original of the succession decree or certificate of inheritance along with a copy of your identity document.