Today's front page of the legal-news site the Global Legal Post features
an article on Freedom of Panorama, written by European trademark
attorney Sharon Daboul.
http://www.globallegalpost.com/blogs/global-view/by-day-and-by-night---two-…
The text can serve as a high-quality reference when we bring up the FoP
issue from a public-interest point of view. It says, for instance:
"This is likely to come as a surprise to many tourists who like to share
their holiday snaps online, particularly on social media. Strictly
speaking, by sharing photographs of the Eiffel Tower or Atomium, they
may have violated French and Belgian Copyright Law as their use of the
images is no longer personal once they have been published on a public
or commercial website. This applies even if the photograph is their own
original shot."
[...]
"Whilst it is hard to imagine SETE [who own the copyrights to the Eiffel
Tower lighting] sending out a cease-and-desist letter or filing a
lawsuit against individuals sharing holiday photos on Instagram, if an
image starts to attract economic value or high public exposure, users
should be aware that the penalties for copyright infringement can be
heavy. The prevalence of infringing images online tends to support the
view that individuals are unlikely to be approached, but it is best to
err on the side of caution."
Best regards,
Karl
--
Karl Sigfrid
+32 487 94 76 30
karl(a)wikimedia.be
Rue du Trone 51
1000 Brussels