Source: http://rychlicki.net/en/issue/polish-law/polish-act-on-access-to-public-information/art-41-api/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 03:11:44+00:00

Document:
The ePaństwo Foundation requested the President of the Supreme Court to disclose information on agreements entered between the Supreme Court and the commercial publishers of case-law of the Supreme Court. First, the President refused to initiate proceedings in this case. The Foundation filed a complaint against such order. The Voivodeship Administrative Court in its judgment of 10 January 2012 case file II SA/Wa 2259/11 repealed it, and the President filed a cassation complaint that was dismissed by the Supreme Administrative Court in its judgment of 11 September 2012 case file I OSK 916/12. The First President of the Supreme Court in its letter of 6 December 2012 informed the Foundation that the requested information is not public. The Foundation filed a complaint against the inactivity of the President. The Voivodeship Administrative Court in its judgment of 19 February 2014 case file II SAB/Wa 443/13 obliged the President to consider the request. The President filed a cassation comaplaint.
The Supreme Administrative Court in its judgment of 30 September 2015 case file I OSK 2093/14 dismissed it and ruled that the First President of the Polish Supreme Court has to disclose the requested information. In the meantime, someone else has obtained all the requested agreements and made their copies available online.
Categories: Art. 1(1) API | Art. 4(1) API | Art. 6 API | Polish Act on Access to Public Information | Polish courts | Polish law | Polish Supreme Administrative Court | Polish Supreme Court.
A Polish citizen requested the President of one of the Regional courts to disclose the calendar of causes that concerned his case. The President informed that the calendar of causes cannot be disclosed, because the regulation on the work of common courts does not permit for such disclosure after the calendar is deposited in the court’s records. Jan H. filed a complaint for failure to act, claiming President’s inaction in his case.
The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Lublin in its judgment of 2 July 2009 case file III SAB/Lu 1/09 held that the regional court is a public authority under the the Polish Act of 6 September 2001 on access to public information – API – (in Polish: Ustawa o dostępie do informacji publicznej), published in Journal of Laws (Dziennik Ustaw) No. 112, item 1198, with subsequent amendments, and is therefore obliged to provide public information. Jan H. has the right to request the disclosure of public information, because everyone has that right, and what’s more important, the person exercising the right to public information is not required to demonstrate his or her legal or factual interest. The calendar of cases and dockets includes a list of cases that are heard in a given day by a court in a particular composition, and as such is deemed as public information, that concerns the work and operation of a public authority, which in this case, was the Regional court. Thus, the citizen’s request has to be considered in terms of request for public information. The VAC noted that internal regulations on the office work cannot be the basis on deciding on civil rights.
Categories: Art. 14 API | Art. 4(1) API | Art. 5(2) API | Art. 6 API | e-court | e-documents | e-law issues | Polish Act on Access to Public Information | Polish courts | Voivodeship Administrative Court.
The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw in a judgment of 24 November 2006, case file II SAB/Wa 99/06, ruled that the public authorities or other bodies performing public functions, in particular the public offices and departments, are required to make public information available in accordance with provisions of article 4(1) point 1 of of the the Polish Act of 6 September 2001 on access to public information – API – (in Polish: Ustawa o dostępie do informacji publicznej) Journal of Laws (Dziennik Ustaw) No. 112, item 1198, with later amendments.
Therefore, there was no doubt for the VAC that in the light of the aforementioned regulation, the Polish Patent Office is the entity obliged to follow the provisions of the API. However, it was also undisputed, that the rules and the procedure on the access to documents including trade mark applications are governed by the Polish Act of 30 June 2000 on Industrial Property Law – IPL – (in Polish: ustawa Prawo własności przemysłowej) of 30 June 2000, published in Journal of Laws (Dziennik Ustaw) of 2001 No. 49, item 508, consolidated text of 13 June 2003, Journal of Laws (Dziennik Ustaw) No. 119, item 1117, with later amendments, served as the basis for the decision to refuse to grant a right of protection.. The provisions of the IPL will constitute lex specialis in relation to the API.
Categories: Art. 4(1) API | case law | Polish Act on Access to Public Information | Polish Act on Industrial Property Law | Polish Patent Office | public information | Voivodeship Administrative Court.

References: Art. 1
 Art. 4
 Art. 6
 Art. 14
 Art. 4
 Art. 5
 Art. 6
 Art. 4