Contemporary Architecture may disappear from the internet

05/07/2015. Freedom of Panorama [European Parliament] EU
metalocus, LEONOR MARTÍN, ANDREA PORTILLO

In relation with the decision of the Government of Spain to push through the so-called Gag Law, which means a reduction of civil liberties, the European Parliament has introduced a new amendment that seeks to restrict the Freedom of Panorama in all the countries of the European Union.

Millau viaduct in the south of France © 2004 Foster and Partners. Courtesy of Creative Commons. Click above to see larger image.

Warsaw Castle, Poland © 1971–1988 Jan Bogusławski. Courtesy of Creative Commons. Click above to see larger image.

Ciudad de la Cultura de Galicia en Santiago de Compostela, España © 2011 Peter Eisenman. Cortesía de Creative Commons. Señala encima de la imagen para verla más grande.

Galicia's City of Culture in Santiago de Compostela, Spain © 2011 Peter Eisenman. Courtesy of Creative Commons. Click above to see larger image.

Reichstag's Dome in Berlin, Germany © 1999 Foster and Partners. Courtesy of Creative Commons. Click above to see larger image.

Woman and bird by Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain © 1982 Joan Miró. Courtesy of Creative Commons.

Freedom of Panorama is an exception to copyright that allows people to take and publish pictures and videos of public spaces without restrictions, preserving intellectual property and other rights of the architects and artists.

Now many of these images are in danger as a result of a proposal by a member of the European Parliament in the context of the reform of copyright legislation of the European Union. If the restrictive text is approved, hundreds of thousands of images will cease to be free and, therefore, may not remain in Wikipedia, social networks such as Facebook and Instagram or other platforms like Flickr or Google Picasa.

On the other hand, publishers, editors of educational content, documentary makers, journalists and other groups who base their work on the use of images or videos of public places would be forced to manage permissions to continue using these materials, with the corresponding temporary inconvenience and economic problems that this would mean.

In short, the public space would be another commercialized product, something that is supposed to be for all citizens, in favor of some artists who, freely, agreed to include their works in this common space.