Polish monthly computer magazine "Chip" published by Burda Communications decided to draw back the latest issue from the newsstands. According to the readers, there were illegally downloaded files among other legal freeware on a CD inserted to the magazine.


The readers had a sudden surprise when they opened the CD in their computers. Among thfreewares they could find subtitles to the movie "Slumdog Millionaire", a bootleg of Sting's concert, compilations "Smooth Jazz Cafe", and "Sunrise Festival 2009" and the CD of Polish singer Kasia Nosowska. All these files had the information stating they were downloaded from a torrent network.

In an open letter to media, the publisher stated: "Burda Communications investigated this case and informs that one of the persons engaged in the process of creation of this DVD did not follow the procedures corectly". The publisher assured that he will not let this issue pass, and all the people responsible for that case will be accordingly punished.

Downloading and distrubuting copyrighted material is illegal in Poland. Even if the CD inserted was produced by another company, it still is publisher's responsibility to distribute legal content.

It is the first time in Poland when the publisher decided to pull back the magazines from the market. The average circulation of the magazine is about 45.000 copies, with almost half of it distrubuted directly to the subscribers.

„The Media Mill” is a blog dedicated to media issues, mostly press and internet. We live in interesting times. People debate whether the newspaper will still exist in its printed form few years from now. All eyes are now on United States, where newspaper crisis forces the publishers to debate in public and search for new revenues. Most often the question is not if but when the newspaper will end its existance in its present form.

I would like to bring attention of the readers to my part of the world, where newspapers are still strong (though admitting they are not losing the ground would be a lie). I believe the ideas born or implemented in the Polish media market could be an inspiration to the publishers and media experts abroad. At the same time I would like to take part in the global discussion concerning the future of printed media.

Last but not least I will try to include some data on this blog about sales and readership in Poland. Hopefully this blog would be an interesting information source for media experts who are interested in how this game is played in Poland.

All the views stated on this site are personal and should not be linked to the views of the company I work for.

I am Marek Miller - mass media and communication fan. Co-author of MediaSzum (translation: MediaBuzz), a local series of meetings on media and communication issues. Content manager in Polskapresse - Polish publisher of regional newspapers and news sites. I have been addicted to news media since 2005.

I am an alumni of many scholarships, among many: Socrates-Erasmus in Tampere (Finland), The Fund for American Studies (Georgetown University), and International Monetary Fund in Kiel (Germany). I am also an alumni of two years post grad studies for a publishing expert.

For more detailed information about me and my career please visit my profile on LinkedIn. Feel free to add me to your network.