Talk:Louvre forbids taking photographs

Is this page intended to let people know they should hide their cameras in seemingly innocent objects like pens for taking pictures in the louvre? :) 84.109.147.54 18:06, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Well, it seems like the last resort...Either way, aren't these paintings in the public domain? - Kookykman|(t)(c)

Yes, they are. In addition, freedom of speech guarantees the right to publish a picture taken without permission as long as it does not encroach privacy or intellectual property rights. I do not see how the objects on display at Louvre could be protected by either. Therefore, you can publish the photos taken in Louvre.--81.197.78.111 23:25, 13 November 2005 (UTC)

And that's exactly why, imho, they forbid to take pictures : Because they are not able to forbid the publishing of them. Traroth 10:56, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

Now, I hope the issue in http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:Deletion_requests#Image:Paris_Louvre_Pyramid_Sunset.jpg is more clear... Traroth 14:37, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

(copied from main page: )

I am sorry to write here not logged in, but I feel I must put a point of view here that seems forgotten. I was in the Louvre, and Paris in general 4 days ago, and I tell you it is *amazingly* disturbing to see people taking pictures with flash turned on(and thus having not even a usable picture) *all the time*, without no good reason, you practically can not see the pictures, and I am not overemphasizing the problem, it really is that bad. To give a harsh example: a girl wanted to take a picture of a statue with her mobile camera phone, and while walking backwards, to have the full statue in the view, she *walked into a Picasso picture* and I mean really walked into it, she actually touched it with her bag on her back, it was a miracle that nothing happened with the picture. Now I hardly think that taking a 200x400 picutre of a well-known statue justified the probable destruction of a Picasso artwork (though this all happened in the Centre Pompidu, it can very well happen in the Louvre, and I am absolutely sure it already did...) [user msoos on Wikipedia]

Well... That's not completly wrong, but doesn't change anything. Apart the fact this problem is caused by the race to more and more visitors, now the Louvre forbid to take pictures, you cannot obtain an exceptional authorization. I tried, as explained in the article, and no way. Traroth 10:05, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Funny

I don't know, how in France, but this: No other person, institution, company, association will be able to display artwork from the Louvre without authorization. sounds very funny in many countries. Well, I understand, that France is a country of great possibilities, including blowing up thousands of cars during a single night. However, I guess that even in this country, nobody can try to apply such a rule. Miraceti 20:26, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Once the pictures are taken and uploaded, they're on an American server, under American laws. - Kookykman|(t)(c)

The French copyright law says that nn years after the death of an author, all his/her copyrighted work falls on public domain. Items still protected by copyright are the exception, not the rule inside the museum. So, Louvre could say it is forbiden to display artwork but it is a claim not supported by the copyright law, in France or elsewhere. Maybe some local law supports such a claim BUT this is not the French Copyright act, so, that claim could not be enforced outside France according the Berne Convention. yc 2005-12-15

That's absolutly true. Once the pictures are taken, the Louvre cannot forbid to publish them. But they can forbid to take pictures, for various pretexts or reasons. And that's what they actually do. Traroth 13:38, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Photography is being prohibited everywhere....

I agree that this is a problem... but it is a problem that is expanding in the United States as well.... I was in a public traffic area taking a photograph of the reflections of the American flag on the mirror windows of Bank of America building in San Francisco, California and was escorted to the street by an armed guard. I also found out by another guard in a similar vein that photographers are also not allowed to take pictures of the water park in Crystal City, Virginia.

That's stupid. The Supreme Court settled this matter decades ago. It's all part of Free Culture. Jade Knight 08:15, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

Yep, remember when they tried to ban photos in the New York Subway system? 70.48.172.91 20:02, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

"I doubt that culture, which is the raison d'être of museums, benefits from this."

I absolutly agree with you that museum and culture will not win anything but I think that it is also in us that culture can grow up and if museum said not to make photo, the old photo are always free to distribute, as the brasilian minister of culture said that the amazon forest is a part of mankind we have to protect, but in same proportion than the contant of musuem like Louvre or other. Does the right of humanity has the right or not to access to knowledge and culture to the whole world? jonathaneo

Old pictures are copyrighted by their author... Traroth 17:22, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Image:Paris-Louvre-Etruscan Couple.jpg

Hi, this image is a suspected copyright violation and may soon be deleted from the Commons:. If your Wikipedia allows fair use, please consider uploading the image locally. Thank you. Commons:User:Jastrow 11:08, 28 May 2006 (UTC)

Bypassing Bureaucrats

The flash and camera phone objections have merit, but the policy of blocking all people at any time from taking photos is absurd. It seems to me that due to the size of modern megapixel cameras, it would be simple to conceal a camera and take any number of pictures at a museum. Folks can use their imagination on more higher resolution setups. Personally, I'd use a wheelchair so that I could take time exposures. A photo editing program could correct for the wierd low angle. Reflections really are a pain to deal with so it would not be a great solution since previewing shots wouldn't be possible. -Mak 21:17, 31 July 2006 (UTC)