Copyright law basically gives the original creator of a thing exclusive rights to its sale and distribution

for as long as they live plus a certain amount of time.

In Pakistan it's 50 years, in Venezuela it's 60, in Jamaica it's 95, but in all of these countries it's 70.

That includes the European Union which, with copyright law, more or less operates as one country.

One of the major exceptions to EU copyright law is the Freedom of Panorama.

Basically, I can legally show you this view of the London skyline,

even though there are plenty of copyrighted things in this view.

For the purposes of copyright, buildings are classified as artistic works.

These buildings have the exact same protections as a movie, a song or this very YouTube video.

You can't just go and build an exact replica of the London Eye without paying the original architects.

But you can take a video of it, because of that Freedom of Panorama.

Essentially, anything you see outside in public in the UK and much of the European Union

can be filmed, re produced and sold, but there are exceptions.

Most notably, France.

The European Union allows its members to not have a Freedom of Panorama Clause in their copyright laws.

So France doesn't have one.

As of 2016, you are allowed to take images and videos of copyrighted buildings for personal use,

but any commercial use is copyright violation.