[jerrysievert]

actually, the US Copyright Act does in fact allow restrictions on photographs of architectural works that are visible from public spaces:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portlandia_(statue)

the Portlandia statue is one such architectural work - and its creator is fairly litigious.

[chimeracoder]

I don't know the details of that specific case so I can't speak to it, but the text of the AWCPA is very clear:

> The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place.

This codifies an already-established principle in US law. French law does not have that same principle.