People have many reasons for wanting to photograph or shoot a video at the festival. Most of these reasons are benign in nature and will be non consequential for other people. However in some situations this behavior can have serious consequences. It could be argued that the majority will not have a problem being photographed or recorded in any way and that the problems the minority has with this does not outweigh the majority. But this isn't about numbers, but about what is right. What is right is to respect other people's privacy and interests.

Exactly this issue is addressed in Dutch Law with the 'Auteurswet 1912', which contains entries about 'Portretrecht'. Also bear in mind that the festival grounds are not a public place and as such we can issue extra rules to make it easier for us to hold individuals accountable for their (mis)behavior.

In the past we used a permit system which main purpose was to make people more aware of their responsibilities. We think that, although apparently some people really dislike strict rules, it has served its purpose well. The most of our visitors are now aware of the fact we don't want you to photograph or video everything and everybody. Because of this positive result, we feel it is time to change the photography and video rules a bit. In the past you needed a permit, but since Anime 2007 we use another method. Instead of the permit and its rules, we have integrated a simpler form of the rules in the house rules/huisregels. We sincerely hope all our visitors will respect each others rights and the rules.

So to find out how the rules work, please take the time to read them. If you have questions, please feel free to ask them on the appropriate forum.