While we still await a response from The Bishop of Manchester on the recent furore over Sony/Insomniac Games’ use of images of Manchester Cathedral in the glorious PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man, it’s interesting to hear what a number of specialist copyright and intellectual property lawyers have to say on the matter.

To recap, Sony could face legal action by the Church of England for the use of this imagery in the game, with the Church currently claiming that no permission was sought by Sony or Insomniac for the use of the re-imagined images of the interior of this magnificent building. Sony continues to claim that it sought permission where necessary.

Insomniac has said that the game was designed following visits by its "environment artists" to various British locations, including such globally-recognised landmarks as The Tower of London.

Paul Stevens, head of intellectual property at law firm Olswang, said, "The fact that images appear in another medium does not change the potential for copyright infringement to have taken place."

Seb Belcher, head of interactive entertainment at law firm Harbottle & Lewis, opined that, "A lot will hinge on how the images were produced and whether there was a requirement in property law to seek church permission."

^{source: Financial Times}