All rights reserved

Here’s an interesting idea — if a municipality uses taxpayer dollars to fund a large public work, esp. a park or public art installation, should that site be copyrighted. In other words, should I be able to take pictures of a piece of art in a public park for which I helped pay? Evidently, the answer is no — at least in Chicago.

The copyrights for the enhancements in Millennium Park are owned by the artist who created them. As such, anyone reproducing the works, especially for commercial purposes, needs the permission of that artist.