Belarus Court Rules This Photo ‘Has No Artistic Merit,’ Can’t Be Copyrighted

It’s one of the strangest, saddest copyright rulings we’ve ever heard of. Motolko captured the northern lights photo above during an all-night photo shoot in March of 2015, sharing it and others like it on social media where his post went viral. The next night, state-run television network Belteleradiocompany used it without permission, credit, or payment.