No Copyright in Photos Taken of The Tou Cheng Sacrifice Grabbing Contest Ritual? Taiwan Photographers Association Voices Challenges. Yilan County Government Said Host of The Contest Ritual Holds No Legal Authority to Impose Restrictions on Copyright.

The host committee of the Tou Cheng sacrifice grabbing contest ritual in Yilan County has been accused of copyright infringement for using a photo to produce the billboard promoting the contest ritual without the photographer’s prior consent.  To prevent itself from similar disputes, the host set up a signboard at the site of the contest ritual indicating that no copyright in photos taken of the contest may be asserted.  The Taiwan Photographers Association disagreed and had their representatives visit the Yilan County Government seeking justice.

 

The 15-story high bamboo scaffold erected for the Tou Cheng sacrifice grabbing contest ritual is the tallest of its kind in similar festivals around the island.  The contest ritual begins at 11:00PM at the Wu Shi Fishing Port, Tou Cheng on the last day of the Ghost Month, the seventh month by Chinese lunar calendar every year (which falls on the 23 August this year).

 

Photographers from around the island start gathering onto the site in the afternoon getting ready for taking good pictures of the contest ritual.  This year, to their surprise, the host committee made the above “no copyright” announcement declaring that no photographer is to own any copyright in the photos he or she takes of the contest ritual.

 

With respect to the host committee’s “no copyright” announcement, the Legal Affairs Office of the Yilan County Government said the host of the ritual contest cannot impose such restriction on copyright by operation of the Copyright Act.  (2006.08)

/EMA