Tourists could be fined for sharing night time photos of Eiffel Tower
Tourists could be fined for taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night and sharing them on Facebook or online.
Why? Because the tower's after-dark light show is actually under copyright.
The Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel recently confirmed that photos taken of the tower at night are under copyright and those who post the photos on Facebook or elsewhere could be fined for violating the law.
It's actually, then, technically illegal to share photos of the tower's light show on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social media platforms.
The Daily Mail reports that the EU's 2001 information society directive says photographs of architectural works in public spaces can be taken free of charge, but the clause is optional.
The paper adds that the lights illuminating the attraction at night are an artwork, so 'reproducing' them requires permission from the artist.
According to Digital Trends, the Société explained in a post on its website: "Daytime views from the Eiffel Tower are rights-free. However, its various illuminations are subject to author's rights as well as brand rights.
"Usage of these images is subject to prior request from the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel."
The Eiffel Tower was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.
The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world.
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