Sfp-zapa

What Sfp-zapa does

SFP-ZAPA (Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich - Związek Autorów i Producentów Audiowizualnych) is the largest collective management organization for audiovisual copyright in Central and Eastern Europe, operating as a unit within the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP, founded 1966). Under an exclusive 1995 license from the Polish Minister of Culture and Art, ZAPA represents Polish audiovisual authors (directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, production designers, editors, sound operators, costume designers, interior decorators, and 3D animators) and producers, collecting statutory royalties from TV broadcasters (TVP, Polsat, TVN, Canal+), cable/satellite operators, VOD platforms, cinema chains, hotels, and blank-media importers. Its core technology is the ZAPA Online web portal for repertoire management and disbursement reporting, supplemented by its role as the Polish ISAN Registration Agency and an anti-piracy monitoring service that issues takedown notices.

ZAPA's revenue model is transaction-based: it negotiates general agreements with users (broadcasters, operators, platforms, venues) and collects royalties across exploitation fields including broadcasting, cable/satellite re-emission, VOD, public performance, cinema screening, blank media levies, and foreign use. After retaining a 5-9% collection cost deduction (the lowest in its history for 2023), the remainder is distributed to rights holders. Costs are recovered through these deductions, and fee tables are approved by the SFP Repartition Council and indexed annually by the Ministry of Culture. Bilateral reciprocal representation agreements with foreign CMOs in 16+ jurisdictions enable cross-border royalty flows in both directions. Membership is free for authors and producers; users contract B2B directly with the Warsaw headquarters.

The customer base is bifurcated: on the supply side, 733+ producers and tens of thousands of authors entrust 70,653+ audiovisual works to ZAPA; on the demand side, all major Polish broadcasters, cable operators, cinema chains, and VOD platforms license through it. Joint tripartite public-performance agreements with ZAiKS extend coverage to playwrights and music authors. The organization is governed by elected Repartition Council bodies representing both Author and Producer teams, with ongoing regulatory advocacy around clean-media levies, animation royalty splits, and audiovisual financing reform.

Name

Sfp-zapa

Legal name

Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich - Związek Autorów i Producentów Audiowizualnych

Website

https://zapa.org.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SFP-ZAPA is Poland's largest collective management organization for audiovisual copyright, representing Polish film authors and producers under a 1995 government license. It collects and distributes royalties from broadcasters, cable operators, VOD platforms, cinemas, and blank-media importers across 70,653+ registered works.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collective Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAKAE

Royalty Auditing, Compliance & Anti-Piracy/Enforcement

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Rights & Royalty Services (PROs, Collection, Royalty Accounting)

SECONDARYMPAIAAAJ

Recorded Music Metadata, Fingerprinting & Anti-Piracy (CID/Content ID)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Recorded Music (Labels, Master Rights, Distribution)

Keywords

• Collective rights management
• Audiovisual royalty collection
• Copyright licensing services
• Anti-piracy monitoring
• ISAN registration agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Royalty Collection and Distribution: SFP-ZAPA collects statutory royalties (tantiemy) from users of audiovisual works — TV broadcasters, cable/satellite operators, VOD platforms, cinema operators, hotels, hospitals, and other public venues — and distributes the proceeds to its rights holders (authors and producers) after deducting collection costs. Revenue is generated through negotiated agreements and approved fee tables. The organization operates under a license from the Minister of Culture and Art (dated May 29, 1995) and collects royalties across multiple exploitation fields including broadcasting, re-emission, public performance, VOD, reproduction on physical media, and foreign use.
2. Clean Media Levies: SFP-ZAPA collects remuneration from producers and importers of blank recording media (czyste nośniki) on behalf of audiovisual authors, under the extended licensing scheme for private copying exceptions. This revenue stream is based on the Act on Copyright and Related Rights.
3. Anti-Piracy Monitoring Services: SFP-ZAPA conducts monitoring of internet services to identify audiovisual copyright infringements and issues takedown notices to hosting providers and linking platforms, supporting the protection of rights holders' economic interests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SFP-ZAPA is a government-authorized collective management organization that collects and distributes statutory royalties (tantiemy) for Polish audiovisual authors and producers from broadcasters, cable/satellite operators, VOD platforms, cinemas, and public venues. It also provides anti-piracy monitoring services, ISAN international registration for audiovisual works, and operates the ZAPA Online portal for rights holders to manage their repertoire and disbursement reports.

Product overview

SFP-ZAPA is a collective copyright management organization operating as a separate unit of the Polish Filmmakers Association. It offers a portfolio of services centered on ZAPA Online (a web-based portal for rightsholders to manage repertoire and view disbursements), collective copyright management for audiovisual works (covering directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and other co-authors), anti-piracy monitoring and enforcement, ISAN registration for international audiovisual identification, and systematic royalty repartition and disbursement across exploitation fields. The organization serves authors, producers, and heirs, collecting and distributing royalties from broadcasters, cable operators, VOD platforms, cinemas, and public performance venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZAPA Online: Web-based data access system for members to view and update personal data, repertoire information, payment reports, and communicate with the SFP-ZAPA office.

Products and services

• ZAPA Online A web-based data access system that enables authorized copyright holders (authors, producers, heirs) to view disbursement reports, manage their protected repertoire, submit new works for protection, update personal information, and submit inquiries to the ZAPA office. It functions as the primary digital interface between SFP-ZAPA and its members.
• Collective Copyright Management Services Core collective management service for copyright and related rights to audiovisual works, including negotiating with users (broadcasters, cable operators, VOD platforms, cinemas, public venues), collecting royalties, and distributing payments to rights holders (directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, production designers, editors, sound operators, costume designers, interior decorators, and producers).
• Anti-Piracy Monitoring Services Monitoring of internet services to identify copyright-infringing audiovisual content, sending cease-and-desist notices to server owners and linking platforms, and conducting analyses and expert reports on piracy in the film industry to protect rights holders' economic interests.
• ISAN Registration (Poland) International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) registration services for audiovisual works, facilitating international identification, royalty management, and exchange of work information among organizations in the audiovisual industry. ZAPA acts as the official Polish Registration Agency under ISAN-IA (Geneva).
• Royalty Repartition and Disbursement Systematic calculation and distribution of royalties (tantiemy) to authors and producers based on registered usage of audiovisual works across various exploitation fields including broadcasting, cable/satellite re-emissions, VOD, cinema screenings, public performance, and foreign use. Distributions follow schedules approved by the SFP Repartition Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 733 producers and several distributors; 70,653+ audiovisual works under protection

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• FESAAL (Federación de Sociedades de Gestión de Derechos de Audiovisual)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023FESAAL represents Latin American audiovisual authors' societies. ZAPA participates in joint webinars and knowledge-sharing initiatives with FESAAL, CISAC, SAA, and other international bodies to advocate for audiovisual authors' rights across Europe and Latin America.
• Stowarzyszenie Autorów ZAiKScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZAiKS and SFP-ZAPA jointly sign tripartite general agreements (umowy generalne) with users of audiovisual works for public performance, covering both audiovisual authors (ZAPA) and playwrights/music authors (ZAiKS) rights. This partnership enables comprehensive collective management coverage for public performance licensing in Poland.
• ISAN International Agency (ISAN-IA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAN-IA, based in Geneva, authorizes national Registration Agencies worldwide. SFP-ZAPA serves as the Polish Registration Agency for ISAN, handling registration requests, assigning ISAN numbers to Polish audiovisual works, and facilitating international identification of works for rights management and royalty distribution.
• Foreign Collective Management Organizations (CMOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFP-ZAPA has bilateral reciprocal representation agreements with foreign CMOs, enabling it to collect royalties for Polish authors' works exploited abroad and distribute royalties to foreign authors whose works are exploited in Poland. Foreign CMOs represented by ZAPA include organizations from France, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, UK, USA, Brazil, Austria, Canada, Serbia, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Finland, and other countries.
• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFP-ZAPA participates in CISAC as a member society, contributing to global collective management standards and receiving international royalty distributions. CISAC data shows audiovisual collections represent approximately 6% of total CISAC revenues globally.
• SAA - Society of Audiovisual AuthorsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAA is a European collective management organization for audiovisual authors. ZAPA participates in SAA activities and international events to advocate for audiovisual authors' rights and share best practices in collective management.
• Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFP-ZAPA operates as an organizational unit of the Polish Filmmakers Association (Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich). SFP provides institutional support and represents the broader Polish film industry, while SFP-ZAPA handles collective copyright management. Grzegorz Łoszewski serves as President of both SFP and (as of April 2026 electoral meeting) the organization.
• Polish Gildia Producentów (Polish Producers Guild)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFP-ZAPA collaborates with the Polish Producers Guild on audiovisual financing reform and the strategic analysis of Polish audiovisual incentives, conducted by Olsberg SPI. The guild is a key stakeholder in discussions about the Polish film industry financing ecosystem.
• Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej (Polish Film Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Polish Film Institute co-funded the Olsberg SPI strategic analysis of audiovisual incentives in Poland. ZAPA participates in discussions with the Institute regarding production financing, cash rebates (30% of qualifying expenses), and the broader reform of Polish audiovisual support mechanisms.
• Krajowa Izba Producentów Audiowizualnych (KIPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIPA is a member organization for audiovisual producers in Poland. It participated as a stakeholder in the Olsberg SPI strategic study of Polish audiovisual incentives, alongside SFP, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GEMA: Germany's largest CMO for music and audiovisual rights. Comparable business model of statutory collective management, multi-territory reciprocal agreements, and digital rights administration — operates at significantly larger scale.
• BUMA/STEMRA: Netherlands CMO for music rights (BUMA) and neighboring rights (STEMRA). Comparable in operating model — statutory royalty collection, reciprocal international agreements, anti-piracy enforcement — though primarily music-focused.
• SACEM: France's largest CMO covering musical, audiovisual, dramatic, and literary works. Operates as a much larger incumbent in the broader European collective management space, with comparable royalty collection, anti-piracy, and international reciprocal representation functions.
• SUISA: Swiss CMO for musical and audiovisual works. Operates with a similar regulatory monopoly structure and comparable repertoire-management and royalty-distribution model to ZAPA, though primarily in the music domain.
• PRS for Music: UK CMO for music and (via PRS for Music's broader remit) audiovisual rights. Comparable in business model and international reciprocity, and one of the CMO peers ZAPA directly interfaces with for cross-border royalty collection.
• SGAE (Sociedad General de Autores y Editores): Spanish CMO covering audiovisual, musical, and dramatic rights. Comparable in function (statutory collective management, reciprocal international agreements) and similar in size to ZAPA's position in the Iberian-speaking cultural ecosystem.

Direct peers

• SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors: European-level federation representing audiovisual authors' CMOs across Europe. ZAPA is an active member and partner of SAA; SAA provides direct comparability as the supranational coordinating body for audiovisual collective management organizations like ZAPA.
• ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society): UK-based collective management organization specifically for audiovisual and literary authors. Closely comparable to ZAPA's mission of collecting royalties on behalf of audiovisual creators across multiple exploitation channels.
• ZAiKS (Stowarzyszenie Autorów ZAiKS): Polish collective management organization for music and dramatic works. ZAPA and ZAiKS already cooperate on tripartite public performance agreements in Poland, making ZAiKS the most direct functional peer — a sister CMO operating in the same regulatory framework with a similar royalty collection/distribution model.
• AGICOA (Association de Gestion Internationale Collective des Œuvres Audiovisuelles): Geneva-based international CMO focused on audiovisual rights management for producers and authors across multiple territories. Directly comparable to ZAPA's audiovisual rights management focus, with an even broader international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sfpzapa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfp_zapa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfp-zapa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sfp-zapa