Abstract

Some goods are classified as "cultural properties" because they have the power of spreading cultural values: to be able to see their image is the easiest way to understand their content. The discipline of the Italian Cultural Property's Code involves the limits and the diffusion of cultural properties' reproduction. Each reproduction of cultural properties needs the permission of a public administration plus a payment, except for provided cases of free use. If some limits are given to the circulation of this image, its knowledge risks having no diffusion. Two main explanations can be given for the choice to restrict the spreading of cultural properties' images. Firstly, the public administration needs to guarantee the thigh quality of the reproduction of these goods. Secondly, the public administration is willing to earn some money from its control over this reproduction. In the first case, more efficient politics should be adopted, as the public administration is often unable to take real advantage of the reproduction of cultural properties. In the second case, no great economic benefits have been noticed. This situation causes confusion among users and needs implementation.