Influencers, works of art and cultural heritage: what changes with the new Ministry Guidelines?

Content creators are much closer to traditional works of art than one might think. Suffice it to say that when cultural assets appear in an individual's posts or stories, their use automatically falls under the (digital) reproduction of that artwork, which in Italy may be subject to the need for authorisation by the authority.

Although an almost niche topic, there has recently been a growing division between those who support the importance of economically enhancing the national artistic heritage and those who promote its free use.

In this respect, the Central Institute for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture issued at the end of last year 'Guidelines for the acquisition, circulation and re-use of reproductions of cultural heritage in the digital environment' with the aim of simplifying procedures on a large scale.