Visual arts

Yes, there are. According to the Code of Economic Law, there are three exceptions where the author cannot oppose a reproduction:

• When short fragments of works or complete works of visual art are communicated to the public in a report on current events.
• In the case of reproduction and public communication for advertising purposes, public exhibitions or public sales of artistic works, in so far as it is necessary for the promotion of those events.
• When a work is quoted for the purpose of criticism, polemics, reviews, education, or in the context of scientific works. However, you do have to state the source and the name of the author.

All exceptions must be interpreted restrictively.

It is sometimes said that you can reproduce extracts of works (music, films, texts, etc.) without permission as long as these extracts are not too long. That's not true.

There is a right to quote, but this is subject to certain conditions (see Article XI.189 §1 of the Code of Economic Law):

1. The quotation must be made in the context of criticism, polemics, reviews, education or scientific work.
2. The quotation must be justified in the context of the objective you have in mind. The extract should therefore not be longer than necessary to clarify what is to be explained.
3. The title of the work and the name of the author must be stated.
4. The quotation must come from a work that has already been made public. Quoting a work that an author has not yet wished to make public amounts to a violation of his/her right to disclosure.

Please make sure that the permission covers both copyright and any neighbouring rights (rights of producers, performing artists and broadcasting organisations).

And keep in mind that the rightholders have an exclusive right and are therefore free to impose their conditions.

The reproduction right constitutes copyright royalties collected for the reproduction of an existing work on different types of media (e.g. paper media such as a book, brochure, flyer, etc., internet pages, television images, merchandising,…).

In order to reproduce a work of art, photo, text or poem, all you have to do is send us a completed licence application (FR - NL).

Yes, but only the author of the original work or his/her heirs can grant a royalty-free permission, not the copyright society.