Another in a series of laws designed to help prevent the adverse effects of the COVID-19 epidemic for the Polish economy, called Shield 3.0, amended the Cinematography Act to extend the list of entities required to pay levies for the Polish Film Institute PISF. The list, already featuring TV broadcasters, cinema operators etc., now has VOD (video-on-demand) providers as a new addition. The new law affects such platforms as Netflix, HBO GO, Player.pl and Ipla, where it is up to the user to decide what to watch and when – surely a much appreciated option at the time of forced isolation. As of 1 July 2020, VOD providers must pay PISF 1.5% of their Polish subscription revenues to support Polish cinematography, just as other media market players do.
For the full text of the article by advocate Grzegorz Zawada, who heads our Warsaw office, see Rzeczpospolita on-line, Dobra Firma weekly or here.