Right of audiovisual producers

Pursuant to the Copyright and Related Rights Act, an audiovisual producer is a natural or a legal person, including television publishers, music video producers and other videogram producers, who or which takes the initiative, acquires financial resources and organises and takes the responsibility for creation of the first fixation of a videogram.

Subject matter of protection of the rights of audiovisual producers is a videogram, as a fixation of an audiovisual work, as well as of a sequence of moving images accompanied by sound or without sound.

Exclusive rights of an audiovisual producer relate to:

1. reproduction of his videograms;
2. distribution, including renting of his videograms;
3. public presentation of his videograms;
4. making his videograms available to the public;
5. communication of his videograms to the public, including making them available to the public, within an ancillary online service;
6. communication of his videograms to the public, including making them available to the public when giving the public access to videograms uploaded by users on online content-sharing service providers.

An audiovisual producer is entitled to an equitable remuneration in the following cases: 

• for lending of his videograms by mediation of public libraries;
• for any sound and visual reproducing of his videograms for private use.

The right of an audiovisual producer runs for 50 years as from creation of the first fixation of a videogram. If within that period the videogram is lawfully published or lawfully communicated to the public, the right shall expire upon 50 years from the first such publication or communication to the public, whichever occurred earlier.