Collective management of copyright during communism and transition : a case study of the Society of Authors ZAiKS

The first collective management organisation established in Poland was ZAiKS, with its beginnings dating back to 1918. This chapter analyses the activities of ZAiKS during the communist period and the transition in the 1990s. Presented is the role played by this organisation at the time of communist rule in Poland. Some of the problems of those times included the constant struggle with copyright infringement, the hindrance of royalty payments to authors abroad, and continuous attempts to nationalise ZAiKS. This chapter also illustrates the impact of collective management organisations on copyright lawmaking in Poland after 1989 and the relationships between Polish and foreign CMOs.