Reprographic fee is nothing new. It was described in the 1994 Copyright and Related Rights Act in Articles 20 and 21. It is intended to supply the creators or contractors with fair compensation for the possible failure they might endure by copying their works.
The fee is included in the price of media, e.g. CDs, hard disks or photocopying paper, i.e. materials on which the user can possibly copy a given track. We pay due to the fact that theoretically we can do it, whether we usage it on the basis of alleged permitted usage or it is simply a pirate practice.
Over the years, the list of devices on which we consume culture has grown, so the regulations "lightly" have become obsolete. Therefore, the subject has already returned respective times. late in 2020 and 2021, but it was torpedoed by most Poles. The PiS government abandoned him, but now a fresh ruling coalition takes over.
The government is returning to grow the reprographic fee. It'll be 1-2 percent.
The government launched a public consultation on the amendment of the regulation, which updates the list of devices subject to a reprographic fee (here the full text of the regulation). The Ministry of Culture informs that the aim is to "simplify the system, realign the value of fees and guarantee balance in the trading of devices with extended functions".
The hotel emphasizes on the website that "thanks to it the creators receive 'compensation' for that their works are legally duplicated for private purposes". specified a mechanism, in addition to the fact that it has been operating in Poland since 1994, is besides required by European Union law.
Why is an extension of the reprographic fee necessary?
The last update was in 2008. Since then, technology has moved forward, and the list of paid devices inactive contains items specified as tape cassettes, but there are no smartphones or tablets on it.
It is the addition of the second that gives emergence to the top controversy, due to the fact that we already pay subscriptions for legal streaming, which besides supports artists (on the presumption that it is different). However, it seems that the fresh "tax" is inevitable.
The fresh regulation introduces 1 simplified list of 19 categories of devices and media (previously 65). The fee will be charged by producers and importers, ranging from 1% to 2% on the sales price.
List of devices and media covered by the fresh reprographic fee:
Mobile telephone with built-in memory from 32 GB - charge 1 percent.
Tablet with built-in memory from 32 GB - 1 percent fee.
Desktop, portable computer - charge 1 percent.
TV with built-in memory or recording function - charge 1 percent.
TV decoder with built-in memory or recording function - 1% fee.
Digital audio player with built-in memory - 1 percent fee.
Digital audio-video player with built-in memory - 1 percent charge.
Portable device for recording on CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray - 1 percent fee.
Hard drive (HDD, SSD), including external one-percent charge.
External memory card (including flash drive) - 1 percent fee.
CD - 2 percent fee
DVD, Blu-Ray - 2 percent fee.
Copy device (attractive, laser, analog, thermosublimation) - 2 percent fee.
Scanner (including manual and slotted) - 2 percent fee.
Ink and laser printer - charge 1.5 percent.
A3 and A4 format paper - 0.75% fee.
Multifunction device with scanner or copier - 2 percent charge.
Copy machine, printer or large format multifunction device (above A3) - fee of 1% (not more than PLN 100)
Magnetophone, VCR - fee 0.01 percent.
According to the draft Regulation, the fee will be levied straight on manufacturers and importers of equipment. The Ministry of Culture claims that "the impact on the final price for the consumer is marginal".
In fact, the reprographic charge is not besides advanced (in the full media storm it was more about the fact of paying for something that many of us do not do, i.e. not "piracy" on smartphones or TVs).
In the case of smartphones, it is 1 percent, so if now a given model costs PLN 5000, then after adding "tax" it will be 50 PLN more costly (unless the maker takes charge on himself, which I doubt). The full fee table in PDF format can be found here.
Who's gonna get the money from the reprographic fee?
Thanks to the amendment to the artists, it is expected to scope an additional PLN 150-200 million annually. The funds collected will go to organisations that represent creators, performers and producers. The draft amendment includes:
Association of Authors ZAiKS,
SAWP Artists Association,
Audio-Video Association ZPAV,
Polish Filmmakers Association,
Association of Polish Artists,
Copyright Polska Authors and Publishers Association.
The draft regulation was addressed on 23 July 2025 to a 30-day public consultation (notes can be submitted at [email protected]). The fresh regulations are to enter into force in 2026.
