I just watched the Avengers and the Chrysler building was featured (again) but I wondered;
*1. Can you use just any building in a movie? Did they have to get the consent of the heirs of William Van Alen or Walter P. Chrysler? They did recreate it for the movie. Or for that matter the White House in "Independance Day"
* 2. What does copyright law say about architecture and 'recreating' it to photograph it?
Anonymous
Favorite Answer
yes
Heidi
Hmm. Building designs CAN be copyrighted by the architect. Which means another architect can't use your blueprints or building design without your permission.
You do NOT need permission to film a real building in a public area... at least in the copyright sense. Filming permits, etc. are another issue.
I do not know if they are allowed to build models without specific permission from the architect. That's an interesting question. In general, U.S. copyrights expire a certain number of years after the artist dies, so that may cover certain cases (e.g white house.)