Is viral photo of Moon inside Olympics rings in violation of IOC or Eiffel Tower guidelines?

On the night of July 22, the thousands of spectators and photographers currently in Paris already got their kodak moment even ahead of the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics 2024. As the Moon, the five Olympic rings displayed on the Eiffel Tower all came together in a perfect symmetry, the pictures went viral on social media.

"The moon is a paid actor," commented a user on social media, in an attempt to highlight how the alignment of the three was perfect enough to be unreal.

Not just the photographs but even the footage of the Iconic Parisian landmark went viral. The short clip captures the beauty of the Eiffel Tower as it is lit and so are the five rings displayed on it and the moon fitting into the center of the five rings elevates the picture further. The rare sight was shared by the official French Olympic account, Jeux Olympiques on X.

Moon and the Olympic rings?

This is not for the first time, however, that the Moon has fallen in sync with Olympic rings placed ahead of the Games. In 2012, Reuters photographer Luke MacGregor photographed the full moon rising up into the Olympic rings on London's Tower Bridge. The Moon in this instance did not fit into the rings but rather formed a symmetry that gave the illusion of a sixth ring.

What a beauty, say the viewers

"The Moon joins in, showing its excitement," commented a user. While another remarked, "So the perfect Eiffel Tower photo does exist." The Moon was captured fitting perfectly in the center of the second ring and the third ring.

Is the photograph in violation of the IOC guidelines?

There is a small section of the netizens that expressed doubt over whether the photograph violates the IOC guidelines for capturing, placement and use of the Olympic rings. As per the official guidelines, the rings, "are a mark protected around the world and cannot be used without the IOC's prior written consent."

In fact, any of the Olympic properties (which are defined in an Olympic Charter and refer to the symbol, flag, motto, anthem, identifications) cannot be used without prior and written permission of the IOC.

Not just Olympic guidelines, doubts were expressed over whether the photograph is in violation of the Eiffel Tower rules.

The sparkling lights of Eiffel Tower are a phenomenon that has gained virality in the world of Instagram and influencers obsessed with the Parisian landmark. The sparkling lights are superimposed over the golden lights for five minutes and the last sparkle occurs at 11pm.

However, is it legal to capture them? The rules say that photographing the Eiffel Tower at night is not illegal at all.

"Any individual can take photos and share them on social networks. But the situation is different for professionals. The Eiffel Tower's lighting and sparkling lights are protected by copyright, so professional use of night images of the Eiffel Tower require prior authorisation and may be subject to a fee."

In order to make light of the situation, a netizen joked, how Mother Nature was violating branding guidelines.  

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