Paris, the City of Light, is known for its romantic ambiance and iconic landmarks. None is more recognizable than the Eiffel Tower, especially when it’s adorned with its nightly display of 20,000 twinkling lights. But before you snap that perfect Instagram shot of the illuminated tower, you might want to think twice. Believe it or not, sharing photos of the Eiffel Tower’s nighttime light show could potentially land you in legal hot water.

Every evening until 1 a.m., the Eiffel Tower puts on a dazzling light show that has become a must-see for tourists and a favorite subject for social media posts. However, what many visitors don’t realize is that this sparkling spectacle is protected by copyright law.
Here’s the twist: while the Eiffel Tower itself is in the public domain (meaning you can photograph and share images of it freely during the day), the light show is a separate artistic creation. Designed in 1985, it’s still under copyright protection, which in Europe lasts for the creator’s lifetime plus an additional 70 years.
According to European copyright law, people are not allowed to sell photographs of copyrighted works, upload them to stock photo websites, publish them in magazines, or share them on social media without permission. This means that all those glittering nighttime shots of the tower that flood Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are technically violating copyright law.
But before you start frantically deleting your vacation photos, there’s some good news. While it’s not illegal to take photos of the illuminated tower, the issue arises when you share or publish these images. Even then, individual tourists sharing personal photos on social media are unlikely to face any consequences. The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, which owns and operates the tower, has stated that they’re not targeting casual social media users.
“Photographing the Eiffel Tower at night is not illegal at all. Any individual can take photos and share them on social networks,” the official Eiffel Tower website clarifies. However, they add a crucial caveat: “But the situation is different for professionals. The Eiffel Tower’s lighting and sparkling lights are protected by copyright, so professional use of images of the Eiffel Tower at night requires prior authorization and may be subject to a fee.”
So who should be concerned? Primarily, it’s professionals looking to use nighttime images of the Eiffel Tower for commercial purposes. If you’re a photographer planning to sell your nighttime Eiffel Tower shots, or a company wanting to use such images in advertising, you’ll need to obtain permission and potentially pay a fee.
For the average tourist, the risk of legal action is minimal. As fact-checking website Snopes points out, the effort required to bring legal action against everyday social media users would likely outweigh any potential benefits for the copyright holders.
Still, this quirky legal situation raises interesting questions about copyright in the digital age. In an era where sharing travel experiences on social media is the norm, laws like this one can seem outdated or overly restrictive. It’s a reminder that in our interconnected world, even something as seemingly innocent as sharing a vacation photo can intersect with complex legal issues.
So, what’s a tourist to do? If you want to play it completely safe, stick to daytime shots of the tower or nighttime photos where the tower is dark. But if you can’t resist capturing that magical moment when the Eiffel Tower sparkles against the night sky, go ahead and take the photo. Just be aware that if you’re planning to use it for anything beyond personal social media sharing, you might need to do some extra homework.
In the grand scheme of things, this peculiar law is unlikely to dampen the magic of a Parisian night. The Eiffel Tower will continue to shine, cameras will continue to click, and social media feeds will still sparkle with the City of Light’s most famous landmark. Just remember, the next time you’re marveling at those twinkling lights, you’re not just witnessing a beautiful view – you’re also looking at a copyrighted work of art.
This is just when the rapidly flashing lights are on. The last time I was in Paris, this happened just after the hour for 5 minutes. When the flashing lights are off, there is no problem.
For commercial use you’ll need a limited usage license from StAcphane Dieu or Solvej Hansen-Love.
At least that was the case when I checked several years ago.