History of ZAiKS
Our History
During March of 1918, Julian Tuwim, Jan Brzechwa, Antoni Słonimski, Anda Kitschman and a collective of theatre and cabaret writers founded Poland’s first organization dedicated to safeguarding creators' copyrights. The distinguished journalist and man of literature and theatre, Stanislaw Ossorya-Brochocki, served as the first president of ZAiKS. For the past century, creators have been at the helm of our society and continue to hold that position to this day.
As the most enduring and comprehensive collective rights management organization in Poland, our membership includes representatives from a diverse range of creative fields such as classical and popular music, poetry, prose, drama, song lyrics, screenplays, choreography, photography, graphics, visual arts, science, journalism, and architecture. As artistic boundaries and categories continue to evolve, we expect to witness the emergence of new artistic sections in ever-increasing numbers.
Our Society is committed to safeguarding the creative output of both our members and authors who have entrusted us with the protection of their works. Additionally, through reciprocal representation agreements, we strive to safeguard the works of foreign authors as well. We co-founded and are a member of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, and an associate of BIEM, an international organization specializing in musical works recorded on sound media. Furthermore, we are a member of GESAC, the European Association of Societies of Authors and Composers, which represents collective management organizations throughout the region.
ZAiKS - serving authors and all those who utilize their creative works.
Our primary goal is to help authors obtain just compensation for their creative output, while also assuming the responsibility of identifying each work's author to facilitate its use by others. Through the issuance of licenses, we ensure that musical works are used in a legal and authorised manner.
In addition, we strive to foster the advancement of Polish culture, creativity in all its manifestations, and the complete spectrum of creative industries.