The EU is looking at a copyright reform bill that would require commercial use of any copyrighted public work — buildings, art, etc. — to require prior authorization and, possibly, payment before they could be used.
So putting together a tour book of Europe? Better get permission before you include any pictures (even ones taken by tourists) of works under copyright. Have a TV show that does a panoramic sweep across a major European capital? They may rely on a narrower picture (or none at all) rather than seek out each copyright holder and possibly have to pay them off.
It seems to me that if you are putting your art out on display — especially a building — you are inviting photography and videos of same. Sure, a photo of Sculpture X that is turned into a poster should earn something to the copyright holder. But a photo of Sculpture X in a montage of scenes around City Y strikes me as something very different, even though it may no longer considered as such by the EU.
Alert: Freedom of Panorama Under Threat in Europe
Should photographers be able to include copyrighted public building and sculptures in photos without having to worry about payment or permissions? The conc
