Two partners of a civil partnership have been accused that in the period from 10 April 2002 to 4 June 2006, they have been acting jointly and in the agreement, and they have been publishing without the adequate and propert registration a periodical entitled “www.bielsko.biala.pl” that was available in the Internet, i.e., they were accused of commiting an offense under Article 45 of the Polish Act of 26 January 1984 on Press law – APL – (in Polish: ustawa Prawo prasowe), published in Journal of Laws (Dziennik Ustaw) No. 5, item 24, with subsequent amendmets.

Anybody who publishes a daily newspaper or a periodical without registration or with registration suspended is subject to a fine penalty or the restriction of liberty.

The Prosecutor from the Regional Prosecution Office in Bielsko-Biala wrote clearly in the indictment act file 2 Ds. 196/08/MŁ, that Article 45 of the APL protects freedom of press.

The Regional Court in Bielsko-Biała in a judgment of 2 June 2009, case file IX K 2011/08, found them guilty. The defendants appealed.

The District Court in Bielsko-Biała, VII Criminal Appeals Division, in a judgment of 14 January 2010, case file VII Ka 715/09, has overturned the earlier sentence and discontinued the criminal proceedings. The court agreed with the court of the first instance that the accused persons commited the offence, however, the court also ruled that the degree of social harmfulness of their activity was minimal. By performing the publishing activities without the registration, both defendants did not cause anyone any harm.

What is more interesting, on 18 April 2008 both partners and later the accused persons, have applied for the registration of press activity/publishing in the form of a website available at www.bielsko.biala.pl. The request contained information that the website is updated daily. The District Court Civil Division I, in a decision of 5 June 2008, case file NS Rej. Pr. 12/08 k. 26-27, ordered the entry of the “www.bielsko.biala.pl” press title into the Register of Daily Newspapers and Periodicals.

See also “Press law, case VI Ka 409/07” and “Press law, case II K 367/08“.

Categories: Art. 20 APL | Art. 21 APL | Art. 45 APL | Art. 7(2) APL | ISP liability | Polish Act on Press Law | Polish Appeallate Court | Polish Regional Court | press law.