Is the photograph on an ID card copyright protected?
UKM
Last Update a year ago
A photograph is protected by copyright only if it meets the legal conditions for copyright protection, such as individuality (originality). A photograph on an ID card does not meet these conditions, as it typically serves a purely functional purpose and does not reflect the photographer’s individual creativity.
Therefore, publishing such a photograph would not constitute copyright infringement. However, doing so could violate the personal rights (e.g. the right to privacy) of the person in the photograph, which must always be taken into account.