Committee to Protect Journalists

By Jean-Paul Marthoz/CPJ Europe Representative

How would Robert Capa and Joe Pulitzer have reacted to the law that came into force on March 15 in their country of birth, Hungary? Let us guess that they would have been stunned. A provision in the new Hungarian civil code forbids taking pictures without the permission of everyone in the photograph.

The law covers “anyone in the frame,” wrote American photographer David Schloss on the Digital Photography Review website, “which means that in theory, photographers will have to seek permission from anyone in the foreground or background whether they are the subject or they are incidental to the shot, as long as they are identifiable in the photo.”

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