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LifestreamThere have been a slew of cases where photographers have been deprived of rights recently. Boingboing has a story about a freelance photographer who was stopped from taking pictures of a San Francisco MUNI station. The wannabe cops cited a nonexistent “post-9/11 law” and called the real cops who were just a uncooperative. Even abusive. The bottom line is that if any law enforcement officer in the US today makes up a law they can also enforce it. And wherever you are, any rights you may think you have are forfeit.
And the other day there was the story of Chicago’s copyrighted park (official web). It doesn’t really matter who made up the ban, the city or the artist, or why they did it. The important thing to remember is that it lacks a solid legal basis. And that the Chicago officials, much like most people in power, either don’t understand or get something out of not separating commercial and non-commercial work.
This is just one piece of a much larger puzzle that is getting uglier by the day.
Some guidelines for photography:
- Britain – The UK Photographers Rights Guide
- USA – The Photographer’s Right
- Sweden – Vad får man fotografera?
Freedom: Use it or Lose it.
