ZAPA is one of the most successful collective management organizations in Poland. Since its inception, ZAPA has consistently strengthened its position in the copyrights market in Poland and its international position. It has negotiated and signed agreements with public and private users, cooperated with many national and international organizations and monitored the dynamic market of cable operators. The fundamental element of the ZAPA activity is proper identification of audiovisual works enabling quick payment of royalties due to their authors and producers, and supporting the fight against piracy in the trade of film works.

On 29 May 1995, by virtue of the decision of the Minister of Culture and Art (DP.041/Z/13/95), the Polish Filmmakers Association SFP received the license for collective management of copyrights for audiovisual works. On these grounds, SFP created within its organization a section named ZAPA - the Union of Audiovisual Authors and Producers with the task to operate according to the above mentioned license. Subsequent amendments of the Copyright Act brought about modifications in the license of the Minister of Culture. Its final shape is contained in the decision of 28 February 2003 (DP.WPA.024/36/03/ik).

The basic objective of our organization is to protect the rightsholders who entrusted ZAPA with their repertoire.

The most important areas of the ZAPA activity are as follows:

• to negotiate agreements with users of audiovisual works (TV broadcasters, cable operators, cinema owners, digital platforms, distributors, internet portals, hotel networks etc.)
• to put forward suggestions to the minister competent for culture and other national authorities in the matters significant for management of copyrights and related rights for audiovisual works,
• to negotiate agreements with foreign collective management organizations,
• to initiate and supervise court proceedings concerning payment of royalties for rightsholders represented by ZAPA,
• to develop rules on the distributions, to carry out the distributions and payments for the rightsholders,
• to monitor the use of audiovisual works and to check payments made by the users,
• to prepare periodic reports of the activities of the collective management organization for the minister competent for culture.

ZAPA cooperates with several national and international organizations. In Poland, ZAPA operates in agreement with similar collective management organizations of copyrights and related rights, i.a. with  ZAiKS, ZPAV, ZASP. ZAPA is a Member of the most important international organizations involved in protection of audiovisual works, for instance CISAC - International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers,  SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors, EUROCOPYA - European Federation of Joint Management Societies of Producers for Private Audiovisual Copying, AGICOA - Association of International Collective Management of Audiovisual Works. Among the greatest successes of ZAPA there is signing of a few dozen agreements with collective management organizations in other countries (i.a. SACD in France, the Directors Guild of Japan, SIAE in Italy, VG Wort and Bild Kunst in Germany ...) and with big American Studios and Guilds: 20th Century Fox, CBS, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Walt Disney, Universal Studios Int., Sony Pictures Television,  RHI International. Through these organizations ZAPA transfers to film creators all over the world the royalties due to them for exploitation of their works in Poland. At the moment, ZAPA represents about 5200 creators and their heirs, almost 700 producers in Poland and, based on agreements on mutual representation with foreign organizations, dozens of thousands of authorized authors and producers all over the world as well as hundreds of thousands of audiovisual works.

ZAPA protects the rights of producers of audiovisual works and of the following authors:

• director,
• scriptwriter and author of dialogues,
• director of photography,
• sound engineer,
• film editor,
• set designer,
• costume designer.
  
  

Persons in charge of managing a collective management organisation, as defined in Article 3.5 of the Act of 15 June 2018 on collective management of copyrights and related rights:

Management Board of Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP):

1. Jacek Bromski – SFP President,
2. Kinga Dębska – Vice-President,
3. Karolina Bielawska – Vice-President,
4. Katarzyna Klimkiewicz – Member of the Management Board,
5. Aleksander Pietrzak – Member of the Management Board,
6. Juliusz Machulski – Member of the Management Board,
7. Grzegorz Łoszewski – Member of the Management Board,
8. Michał Szcześniak – Member of the Management Board,
9. Anna Mroczek – Member of the Management Board,
10. Michał Kwieciński – Member of the Management Board,
11. Janusz Gauer – Member of the Management Board,
12. Allan Starski –Member of the Management Board
13. Nikodem Wołk-Łaniewski – Member of the Management Board.
    

Audit Committee:

1. Zbigniew Domagalski – Chairperson of Audit Committee
2. Sławomir Rogowski – Committee Member,
3. Kamil Skałkowski – Committee Member,
4. Alina Skiba – Committee Member,
5. Irena Strzałkowska – Committee Member.

SFP Court of Collegiate

1. Grażyna Banaszkiewicz
2. Violetta Buhl
3. Michał Bukojemski
4. Sylwia Czaplewska
5. Janina Dybowska-Person
6. Grzegorza Kędzierskiego
7. Paweł Mantorski
8. Marek Piestrak
9. Wiktor Skrzynecki
10. Andrzej Sołtysik
11. Ignacy Szczepański
12. Piotr Wojciechowski
    

Polish Filmmakers Association - Union of Audiovisual Authors and Producers

Managing Director - Dominik Skoczek