Questions regarding the recording and use of images by any means. Consider also the more general "recording" tag.
Questions tagged [photography]
119 questions
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What are the legal repercussions of taking a stranger's picture in public?
With Snapchat and Instagram it is all too easy to abuse picture taking and really inexpensive to snap a photo of an unknowing stranger. If you are in public and will only post pictures online without their permission, can the victim take legal…
Script Kitty
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Is it illegal to take pictures of the police in public in Germany?
I visited Cologne last year. I was taking a selfie with my phone's inner camera in front of a monument. I was unaware that my phone's outer camera was facing police officers conducting checks. One of them noticed it and approached me. He saw the…
ynx159
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Admissibility as evidence of photographs taken by a mobile phone
It would appear that Samsung has admitted that images captured using their mobile phones' "Scene Optimizer" feature (which can be disabled) are not necessarily an accurate photograph of what the user thought they were…
Mark Morgan Lloyd
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24
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Does volunteer photographer own copyright?
An amateur photographer at a scenic rest stop sees a couple trying to compose a decent photo of themselves with the beautiful river in the background. This happens so often that as he approaches nobody even needs to say a word: They hand him their…
feetwet
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Why is Star Wars a copyright issue but a MLB team is not?
Over the weekend, I was asked to be part of a photo shoot for a political candidate. I was wearing a t-shirt that featured a Star Wars character and the photographer stated that he wanted to position me in a fashion so it wasn't visible to avoid a,…
Pyrotechnical
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Can satellite images be copyrighted?
OpenStreetMap doesn't allow editors to trace satellite imagery from Google, claiming that the imagery is copyrighted and tracing it would be a copyright violation.
But how can satellite images be copyrighted? In the US, as I understand it,…
endolith
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15
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Can a celebrity sue someone who takes obnoxious pictures/videos of him in public and uploads onto internet without his permission?
Suppose a celebrity digs his nose or scratches his private part because of sudden itch or performs some unsightly act in public. Someone takes his picture/video and uploads onto internet without his permission. The celebrity is shamed in public. By…
user768421
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Is it legal to photograph a couple making out in a cinema?
If you go to a cinema and there's a couple making out in the darkness,* is it legal to photograph them?
In several jurisdictions, it is legal to photograph someone in public even if they don't agree with it. On the other hand, you are intentionally…
Allure
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12
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Finding the license for a widely-used photograph
I'm writing a blog post related to the C programming language, and would like to illustrate it with this iconic photograph of Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie in front of a DEC PDP-11, but only if doing so is legal.
The above link is the closest I…
rwallace
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Fair Use of Photos as a Derivative Work
This question comes specifically from a particular example. Within Ethics for the Information Age (Quinn), 5th Edition, there is a chapter on Intellectual Property, and while most of it is well-explained, this section on fair use confuses me:
Fair…
Seymour Guado
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9
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How do laws affect photography of non-humans in public when people may be in the frame?
Given that this is taking place in a public area where one would not have an expectation of privacy, what legal restrictions exist on photography of people where they are not the subject of the photograph?
For instance, say that I am taking a…
jimsug
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9
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Volunteer Created Work: Who Owns the Copyright?
A volunteer creates many works for a nonprofit, without signing anything or giving ownership of the works to the nonprofit. The work is used, but after about a year, the volunteer resigns and, a month after the resignation, demands the nonprofit…
Mike Wizowsky
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Copyright on photographic reproductions of old paintings
If someone makes a photographic reproduction of a painting, and the painter died a hundred years ago, what rights does the photographer have?
Generally, making a photo of something is in itself a creative act and the photographer surely has…
J Fabian Meier
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What is the legal basis of Kate Middleton's threats against paparazzi photographing her in public?
Follow-up question to Is it legal to photograph someone in public after they explicitly withhold consent?
Kate Middleton has in the past been followed by paparazzi everywhere. She reacted to that by threatening legal action. Given that there is…
Allure
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What is the legal status of intimate photos sent to your (now) ex-partner after a break-up?
When I met my now ex-boyfriend, we were both already over 18. I took digital nude pictures of myself and transferred them electronically to him, i. e. I was sexting him. He didn't specifically ask for them, I just wanted to pleasure him. There…
Miranda Roe
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