UK Law - John Stolz on Photgrapher's Rights
The UK has relatively liberal laws regarding photography compared with many countries. Although there are some exceptions, the key principle is that you can photograph whoever and whatever you want, without needing permission, providing you are on public property.  To view a 2 page .pdf version please see Photographer's Rights in the UK.

US Law - Bert P. Krages, Attorney on Photographer's Rights

The right to take photographs in the United States is being challenged more than ever. People are being stopped, harassed, and even intimidated into handing over their personal property simply because they were taking photographs of subjects that made other people uncomfortable. Recent examples have included photographing industrial plants, bridges, buildings, trains, and bus stations. For the most part, attempts to restrict photography are based on misguided fears about the supposed dangers that unrestricted photography presents to society.

Ironically, unrestricted photography by private citizens has played an integral role in protecting the freedom, security, and well-being of all Americans. Photography in the United States has an established history of contributing to improvements in civil rights, curbing abusive child labor practices, and providing important information to crime investigators. Photography has not contributed to a decline in public safety or economic vitality in the United States. When people think back on the acts of domestic terrorism that have occurred over the last twenty years, none have depended on or even involved photography. Restrictions on photography would not have prevented any of these acts. Furthermore, the increase in people carrying small digital and cell phone cameras has resulted in the prevention of crimes and the apprehension of criminals.

As the flyer states, there are not very many legal restrictions on what can be photographed when in public view. Most attempts at restricting photography are done by lower-level security and law enforcement officials acting way beyond their authority. Note that neither the Patriot Act nor the Homeland Security Act have any provisions that restrict photography. Similarly, some businesses have a history of abusing the rights of photographers under the guise of protecting their trade secrets. These claims are almost always meritless because entities are required to keep trade secrets from public view if they want to protect them.  To view a 1 page .pdf version please see The Photographer's Right.

Andrew Nemeth has put together an information website on legal issues within Australia.  It deals with general rights, private property, children, and copyright issues relating to photography as well as other topics.  A .pdf download is available from his website NSW Photo Rights.

Canadian Law

This is a collection of Canadian laws, Provincial statutes and regulations, and some by-laws, which apply to photographers. Originally, this was a collection of laws specific to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, however, with growing interest in the subject, has grown to include laws from other provinces, and cities. A number of contributors have assisted and contributed, see revision history for credits.

The applicable laws may vary by city, province and country. Note that this is not legal advice, and I am not a lawyer, this is simply my interpretation of the laws surrounding photography.  Photography Laws