Taking photographs of the Eiffel Tower at night is actually ILLEGAL | The Sun

Photographs at night capture the light show which is actually copyrighted

TAKING a photograph of the Eiffel Tower at night could result in you breaking the law.

Thanks to the iconic light show which illuminates the attraction in the evening, it is actually illegal to take pictures of the tourist attraction after dark.

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Sharing your own pictures of the iconic structure at night-time is a violation of the artist’s copyright

Credit: Reuters

Take a photo during daytime and no one will bat an eyelid, but problems arise at dusk when the Eiffel Tower lights are switched on.

It turns out that sharing your own pictures of the iconic structure at night-time is a copyright violation.

According to Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which manages the tower, the lights on the tower are an artistic work.

On the website it states: “The various illuminations of the Eiffel Tower (golden illumination, twinkling, beacon and events lighting) are protected.

“The use of the image of the Eiffel Tower at night is therefore subject to prior authorization by the SETE.

“This use is subject to payment of rights, the amount of which is determined by the intended use, the media plan, etc.”

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The lights on the tower are an artistic work, sot anyone who wants to photograph it after dark has to get permission

Credit: Getty – Contributor

This means that anyone who wants to photograph it after dark must get permission from them.

European copyright law says that it is illegal to distribute pictures of copyrighted works.

According to Snopes, pictures posted on social media can also count as distribution – which is where holidaymakers could get in trouble.

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The French courts have never ruled on this though, so it is possible that you would never be successfully sued if it came to the crunch.

Under European Union law, copyright expires 70 years after the death of the creator.

The lights were installed in 1985 by Pierre Bideau, who remains alive today, meaning the copyright will be in place for decades to come.

Anyone taking a picture from the top of the tower is totally fine though as a message on the website reads: “The views from the Eiffel Tower are rights-free.”

The Eiffel Tower is included in every Paris holiday, with the views from the tower some of the best in the city.

Last year, the city was voted the best tourist destination in the world by TripAdvisor, pipping London to the post.

However, thanks to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, this year London took the top spot, knocking Paris into second place.