Commons:Deletion requests/File:Sydney Opera House - Dec 2008.jpg

While I don't know all the details of copyright law, this deletion request is likely the weirdest thing I've seen in a long time. The reason given ("Sydney opera is a copyrighted work.") makes no sense at all. If Sydney Opera is copyrighted, surely CN Tower, Sony Center and most skyscrapers in Frankfurt am Main are, too! Furthermore, isn't every single building designed by someone, and this design copyrighted? This interpretation would make any photo of a city containing just a single building whose design's copyright hasn't expired yet subject to copyright, and therefore ineligible for Commons. I urge someone with more detailed knowledge about the matter to step in and settle this, especially given the fact that this picture is currently on vote for Featured Picture status both on Wikipedia and Commons! -- JovanCormac (talk) 08:48, 30 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is a matter of country specific legislation regarding Freedom of Panorama. In Australia there is freedom of panorama for buildings, but not in, e.g., France. So had the opera house been situated there it had been a no go, as long as there was copyright on the building. You can publish a photo of the Eiffel tower at daylight (because its copyright has expired I guess), but not a night shot, because the lightning is copyrighted. Craazy, I know. And then there is also de minimis exceptions to this, like a night shot panorama over Paris, where you can see the Eiffel tower lit up, it is OK if the tower is not a prominent feature of the image but an inevitable detail of the cityscape.

But, yes, in this particular case, because it is in Australia, the photo is OK. --Slaunger (talk) 10:12, 30 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please renominate if still applicable. Basvb (talk) 19:43, 4 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]