The association KOPIPOL, which deals with copyright protection and promotes the development of science in Poland, is launching the “Copy with Class” campaign. This initiative aims to promote the achievements of Polish scientists and increase public awareness of the importance of legal protection for scientific creativity.
Operating for nearly 30 years, KOPIPOL represents the community of creators of scientific works. The association is one of the ten collective management organizations in Poland, enabling authors to enforce their rights regardless of their membership.
As announced by the Vice-Chair of the KOPIPOL board, Dr. Agnieszka Kowalska-Lasek, the “Copy with Class” campaign aims to raise awareness that copying scientific works without proper consideration of creators’ rights is unethical and illegal.
“We represent all creators of scientific works in the country. As an organization, we have greater capabilities to stand up for the creator and fight against any copyright infringements. If someone notices infringements on their works, they can contact us and receive real assistance. You don’t have to be a member of the association to get support,” said Dr. Kowalska-Lasek.
“We want the world to understand that by copying scientific works, we are essentially reproducing someone’s work, for which scientists are entitled to full compensation. Just as it is natural for artists to receive royalties, we would like it to be natural for scientists to receive remuneration from repartition,” she emphasized.
The association collects fees from producers and importers of reprographic devices such as printers, copiers, scanners, and then distributes them in a repartition system, paying the due remuneration to creators. A special search engine for authors has been launched on the KOPIPOL website.
“Simply search for your name, and if it is in the database, it means that money is waiting for that person. You can claim it by sending us the appropriate declaration,” she added.
Kowalska-Lasek also mentioned that KOPIPOL has launched the “Science Starts with People” project, which aims to promote Polish science and its creators. Through a series of short films, KOPIPOL intends to present profiles of scientists who contribute to the development of knowledge and science in Poland on a daily basis.
The Vice-Chair also pointed out that KOPIPOL operates a Support Fund for Creators, which finances various activities including the publication of scientific papers, translations, editorial work, research projects, doctoral and post-doctoral procedures. Publications in open access, access to scientific databases, as well as the organization of training, workshops, conferences, competitions, and other forms of science development, are also funded. “As part of the fund, we provide non-repayable financial assistance to creators who find themselves in difficult financial situations,” she added.
KOPIPOL has entrusted its rights to nearly 4,000 individuals. Within the association’s structures, there are about 100 representatives from the world of science. (PAP)
Wiktor Dziarmaga
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