The EU and the freedom for the panorama...
Lille Ulven
Registered Users Posts: 567 Major grins
The EU is soon to be deciding regarding a new law for copyright protection. The idea was simple: to make things easier for everybody the same rules should be applied to all countries that are members of the EU (or EEA members).
Before (or as a matter of fact now):
A) In some countries it was legal to take photos of statues, public displayed art (not in a museum, but outside), and buildings and use these photos in a commercial way.
In some countries it was only legal to take photos of buildings but not of statues or public displayed art and use them in a commercial way.
C) In some nothing of the three was legal for commercial photography.
The proposal made for the new law:
Well since some countries of group C could not be convinced to change to the rights of group A or B... they now want to implement the law in a way that taking photos for commercial use of public displayed art, statues and buildings will not be legal unless the artist has been dead for at least 70years. (Kind of what we have in book copyright as of today.)
What does this mean:
Well if you were to take a photo of say the London Eye or the Opera of Oslo and upload it on Facebook...you would break the law. Because by posting it on Facebook you would give Facebook the right to use your photo for commercial purposes. The same of course would count for Instagram, G+, Flicker, 500px ...
If you were to create a calendar (and sell it) with photos from your journey through Europe you would not be allowed to use photos of "man made structures" where the "man who made them" hasn't been dead for at least 70 years.
The possible only way to stop this now is hoping (and signing) the petition to save the freedom of photography or - in case you live in a EU country - to write to who ever is your politician in the EU.
Thankfully the press seems now to be on it as well, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that this law in its current form is not to be implemented.
Before (or as a matter of fact now):
A) In some countries it was legal to take photos of statues, public displayed art (not in a museum, but outside), and buildings and use these photos in a commercial way.
In some countries it was only legal to take photos of buildings but not of statues or public displayed art and use them in a commercial way.C) In some nothing of the three was legal for commercial photography.
The proposal made for the new law:
Well since some countries of group C could not be convinced to change to the rights of group A or B... they now want to implement the law in a way that taking photos for commercial use of public displayed art, statues and buildings will not be legal unless the artist has been dead for at least 70years. (Kind of what we have in book copyright as of today.)
What does this mean:
Well if you were to take a photo of say the London Eye or the Opera of Oslo and upload it on Facebook...you would break the law. Because by posting it on Facebook you would give Facebook the right to use your photo for commercial purposes. The same of course would count for Instagram, G+, Flicker, 500px ...
If you were to create a calendar (and sell it) with photos from your journey through Europe you would not be allowed to use photos of "man made structures" where the "man who made them" hasn't been dead for at least 70 years.
The possible only way to stop this now is hoping (and signing) the petition to save the freedom of photography or - in case you live in a EU country - to write to who ever is your politician in the EU.
Thankfully the press seems now to be on it as well, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that this law in its current form is not to be implemented.
https://www.lilleulven.smugmug.com - The Photos of my travels
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