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Coordinates: 50°53′41″N 4°20′28″E / 50.89472°N 4.34111°E / 50.89472; 4.34111
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On February 23, 2009 Axel Addington, Web Content Manager for Atomium, e-mailed a clarification to the Glass Steel and Stone web site, which some years earlier redacted its photographs of the Atomium after being threatened. He stated, "The royalties are perceived (sic) by the descendants of Andre Waterkeyn, the engineer who conceived Atomium in 1955, and not by the A.S.B.L Atomium. So, you've probably been sued by the SABAM (Belgian Copyright Company) because of the Waterkeyn Family."
On February 23, 2009 Axel Addington, Web Content Manager for Atomium, e-mailed a clarification to the Glass Steel and Stone web site, which some years earlier redacted its photographs of the Atomium after being threatened. He stated, "The royalties are perceived (sic) by the descendants of Andre Waterkeyn, the engineer who conceived Atomium in 1955, and not by the A.S.B.L Atomium. So, you've probably been sued by the SABAM (Belgian Copyright Company) because of the Waterkeyn Family."


From the Atomium's website, the current copyright restrictions exempt private individuals under the following conditions<ref>http://www.atomium.be/Search.aspx?search=photo#/AuthorsRights.aspx</ref>,
From the Atomium's website, the current copyright restrictions exempt private individuals under the following conditions<ref>[http://www.atomium.be/Search.aspx?search=photo#/AuthorsRights.aspx] Atomium.be copyright, retrieved 26 March 2010.</ref>,
<blockquote>There are some cases however where use of the image of the Atomium is not restricted by any rights.
<blockquote>There are some cases however where use of the image of the Atomium is not restricted by any rights.
This is the case where photographs are taken by private individuals and shown on private websites for no commercial purpose (the current trend for photo albums), as long as these pictures are displayed at a low resolution (600 pixels maximum, resolution of 72dpi) to avoid abusive usage and downloads.
This is the case where photographs are taken by private individuals and shown on private websites for no commercial purpose (the current trend for photo albums), as long as these pictures are displayed at a low resolution (600 pixels maximum, resolution of 72dpi) to avoid abusive usage and downloads.

Revision as of 09:37, 26 March 2010

The Atomium
File:Atomium 20-08-07.jpg
Map
General information
LocationBrussels, Belgium
Coordinates50°53′41″N 4°20′28″E / 50.89472°N 4.34111°E / 50.89472; 4.34111
Height
Antenna spire102 metres (335 ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)André Waterkeyn

The Atomium [2] is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 102-metres (335 ft) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

Tubes which connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre enclose escalators connecting the spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. Each sphere is 18 metres in diameter. Three spheres are currently (2008) closed to visitors, others are easily reachable with escalator. The vertical vertex contains a lift which was considered very fast and advanced at the time of building (the speed is 5 m/s)[1].

History

One of the original ideas for Expo '58 was to build an upside-down version of the Eiffel tower; however, Waterkeyn felt that an atomic structure would be more symbolic of the era.[citation needed] The monument was originally planned to remain standing only six months. However, it soon became a symbol not only of the World's Fair, but of modern architecture and Brussels.[citation needed] The monument stayed the same for almost 50 years.

Renovation

Renovation on the Atomium began in March 2004; it was closed to the public in October, and remained closed until 18 February 2006. The renovations included replacing the faded aluminium sheets on the spheres with stainless steel. To help pay for renovations, the old aluminium was sold to the public as souvenirs. A triangular piece about 2 m long sold for €1,000,[citation needed]

The renovation includes revamped exhibition spaces, a restaurant, and a dormitory for visiting schoolchildren called "Kids Sphere Hotel" which features suspended plastic sphere towers. A €2 commemorative coin depicting the sculpture was issued in March 2006 to celebrate the renovation.

Post renovation

The Atomium is one of the most visited attractions in Brussels today. In 2008, the Atomium celebrated its 50th anniversary, with activities planned all year, including free admission for those turning 50 between April and October.[citation needed]

View from inside Atomium

Location

The Atomium is located at 50°53′41″N 4°20′28″E / 50.89472°N 4.34111°E / 50.89472; 4.34111{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page, beside the King Baudouin Stadium in Heysel Park. Just next to it lies the Mini-Europe park and the Heysel/Heizel metro station.

Safety features

The Atomium was designed from the body-centered cubic crystal structure of iron

Three of the four uppermost spheres lack vertical support and hence are not open to the public for safety reasons, although the sphere at the pinnacle is open to the public. The original design called for no supports; the structure was simply to rest on the spheres. Wind tunnel tests proved that the structure would have toppled in an 80 km/h wind (140 km/h winds have been recorded in Belgium). Support columns were added to achieve enough resistance against overturning.[3]

The Belgian collecting society, SABAM, via the United States Artists Rights Society (ARS), has claimed worldwide intellectual property rights on all reproductions of the Atomium image.[2] For example SABAM issued a demand that a United States website remove all images of the Atomium from its pages.[3] The website responded by replacing all such images with a warning not to take photographs of the Atomium, and that Asbl Atomium will sue you if you show them to anyone.[3][4] Sabam confirmed that permission is required.[3]

Ralf Ziegermann remarked[5] on the complicated copyright instructions on Atomium's website specific to "private pictures".[6] The organisers of Belgian heritage, Anno Expo (www.expo58.eu, planning the 50th anniversary celebrations of Expo '58), in the city of Mechelen announced a "cultural guerrilla strike" by asking people to send in their old photographs of the Atomium and requested 100 photoshoppers to paint over the balls.[7][8] SABAM responded that they would make an exception for 2008 and that people could publish private photographs for one year only on condition they were for non-commercial purposes.[7]

Anno Expo later announced they had censored part of their own report due to "complications" and referred to a meeting they had with SABAM.[9] Mechelen's Mayor, Bart Somers, called the Atomium copyright rules absurd.[10]

On February 23, 2009 Axel Addington, Web Content Manager for Atomium, e-mailed a clarification to the Glass Steel and Stone web site, which some years earlier redacted its photographs of the Atomium after being threatened. He stated, "The royalties are perceived (sic) by the descendants of Andre Waterkeyn, the engineer who conceived Atomium in 1955, and not by the A.S.B.L Atomium. So, you've probably been sued by the SABAM (Belgian Copyright Company) because of the Waterkeyn Family."

From the Atomium's website, the current copyright restrictions exempt private individuals under the following conditions[11],

There are some cases however where use of the image of the Atomium is not restricted by any rights.

This is the case where photographs are taken by private individuals and shown on private websites for no commercial purpose (the current trend for photo albums), as long as these pictures are displayed at a low resolution (600 pixels maximum, resolution of 72dpi) to avoid abusive usage and downloads.

However, the words "© www.atomium.be - SABAM 2010 - photographers name" must be included next to the image.

References

  1. ^ http://www.atomium.be/Article.aspx?lang=en&id=14&noback=1 Technical Features of the Atomium.
  2. ^ chillingeffects.org July 14, 2003, "Such unlicensed reproduction and use of artwork on any Internet site with public access is considered a violation of the worldwide intellectual property rights of the rights holders, including without limitation, copyright, trademark rights and moral rights."
  3. ^ a b c 100 "photoshoppers" wanted to erase copyright building Simon Aughton, MacUser News, 21 April 2008, '"Since its creation, the Atomium is a copyrighted monument and any reproduction of its image in a publication or on a website must be accompanied by a prior authorisation request to the right holders or to Sabam,"a spokeswoman said.'
  4. ^ Atomium, The :: Boulevard du Centenaire, Brussels, Belgium :: Glass Steel and Stone "Even if you are an American and think you are protected by U.S. copyright law Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 120, you will still be sued."
  5. ^ The Cartoonist, Ralf Ziegermann, 2008 May 1
  6. ^ Copyright photo, Official blog of the Atomium & Expo 58, 2008, "In the precise and exclusive case of information articles related to the festivities of the fiftieth birthday of the Atomium and of Expo 58, private pictures intended for non-commercial and non-promotional purposes, published in low resolution (max. 600 pixels wide / 72 dpi), are free from copyrights. However, the copyright © Sabam 2008 - www.atomium.be must be mentioned."
  7. ^ a b the balls of Brussels, embe, 2008-04-10 (English)
  8. ^ Anno-Expo, (Dutch)
  9. ^ Belangrijk bericht aan de bezoekers / inzenders / photoshoppers / lezers (Dutch)
  10. ^ Sabam in het nauw, Christophe Callewaert, 2008 April 9 (Dutch)
  11. ^ [1] Atomium.be copyright, retrieved 26 March 2010.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atomium.
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