Constructed in 1889, Eiffel tower is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Initially, its design was criticized by many artists but over the time it has gained a global iconic structure recognition. Although, such iconic monuments are open to all yet they are subject to certain restrictions.
Such creations are considered as the artist's intellectual property assets and are, therefore, protected under the copyright laws. In Europe, the copyright laws are protected during the lifetime of the artist plus 70 years after their death.
In 1993, 70 years after the demise of Gustave Eiffel (the copyright owner of the Eiffel Tower) the image copyright was entered into the public domain. Thus, making legal to publish and copy the image of the "iconic" structure. But the catch is - it is only legal during the daytime. It is still illegal to click the picture of the night-lit Eiffel Tower.
Actually, the reason behind such protection is that the lighting on the Eiffel Tower was installed in 1985. The lighting has been considered as an artistic work under the copyright laws and thusly it is still protected under the copyright period.
So technically, clicking a night-lit picture of the Eiffel Tower can put you in legal trouble. Although, none has been prosecuted against such act yet.
The idea behind such law is to prohibit any kind of commercial use of the IP asset, perhaps that is why any action has not been taken against anyone. Nonetheless, for any kind of commercial publishing of the night-time image of the Eiffel Tower, you must get the permission from the ‘Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel’ (the Eiffel Tower’s operating company)
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Thank You so much for reading. I will be trying to put more such similar law-related trivia and facts in the future.
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