The dispute over Gliniada and the rights to organize an event under that name has continued since 2015. That was when Bogusław Nowak, protesting that the municipal authorities had not bought the event from him for PLN 40,000—the event he had taken over from the Via Sudetica association in 2014—organized a procession of black figures. During the procession at the Ceramic Festival, an effigy of Mayor Piotr Roman was displayed on a toilet. We wrote about it in the article: He did not want PLN 15,000 for a white Gliniada, so he gave the city a black one for free!
Interestingly, during a press conference before the 2015 Ceramic Festival, Bogusław Nowak argued that Via Sudetica wanted to hold Gliniada without him and claimed that he had patented it, although that was not true (at the time, nobody checked Nowak’s words because people believed what he said).
Bogusław Nowak: “I am not claiming any rights. After seven years, I patented Gliniada, seeing what was happening in the city, seeing what plans were simply being made with Ms. Lijewska and Mr. Lickiewicz. I patented this event.”
statement by Bogusław Nowak from July 22, 2015
In 2018, the boleslawianie.eu association and Krzysztof Gwizdała, owner of istotne.pl, decided to revive the event, popular with residents and tourists, during the Ceramic Festival. The event was initially called Glina Show (because everyone was convinced that Nowak held the rights to the trademarks), but in 2022 it legally became Gliniada (when Krzysztof Gwizdała checked that, contrary to what Nowak had said, he did not actually hold the trademark rights). Thanks to Krzysztof Gwizdała, “Gliniada” and “glinolud” returned to the women and men of Bolesławiec, and since 2022 they have belonged to those who initially, from 2007 to 2009, and then from 2018 onward, organized clay-painting events in Bolesławiec.
In 2023, Bogusław Nowak filed a copyright-protection lawsuit. He wanted the court to prohibit Krzysztof Gwizdała from organizing events called Gliniada featuring Glinoludy. Nowak also wanted Gwizdała to be legally prohibited from using these designations in any publications or business activities.
In January 2024, after carefully and comprehensively analyzing the case, watching numerous videos and reviewing documents submitted by Nowak and Gwizdała, and holding a preparatory hearing, a judge from the Intellectual Property Division of the Regional Court in Poznań told Nowak that his lawsuit would fail. The judge also said he could reduce costs by withdrawing it. Nowak did so, but he had to pay all of Krzysztof Gwizdała’s costs.
Despite his defeat in the Poznań court, Bogusław Nowak still claims that he alone invented Gliniada (although in reality he was primarily its public face from 2009 to 2014), and that this gives him full ownership rights to the event. This is his line of defense in the criminal case over defamation and insults that Krzysztof Gwizdała brought against him. That case is being heard by the Bolesławiec court; no verdict has been issued yet.
From 2018 through 2023, Nowak was able to undermine the event created by the boleslawianie.eu association and istotne.pl without consequence. Eventually, the organizers of Glina Show and Gliniada withdrew from organizing the event after not receiving a promise from Mayor Piotr Roman that the city would ensure their safety during the parade.
In 2024, during the 30th Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival, Mayor Piotr Roman, to everyone’s surprise, entrusted the organization of the clay-painting event... to Bogusław Nowak. Nowak is to organize Saturday’s event under the slogan “Parade out of love for clay.” The city will pay him PLN 50,000 for it.