Over the weekend, we posted that the Church of England was up in arms about Manchester Cathedral being used in Resistance without permission. Apparently, the Anglican Church is even considering taking legal action against developer Insomniac. But do they even have legal grounds to do so? According to British solicitor Alex Chapman:

The Church will have an uphill battle in a legal claim against Sony, and indeed it is likely that there is no basis for a claim... There is no law against insensitivity and as with many matters of this kind, it is the public reaction that might be more damaging than the legal one.

Under British law, copyright infringement cannot be brought against buildings and sculptures that are on permanent public display. Even if the church was copyrighted, it probably has expired as copyrights become null seventy years after the person who's created the work has died. What does this mean? Chapman continues:

...public buildings are generally fair game for inclusion in videogames, films et cetera, and it is something that their owners just have to accept.

Insomniac has declined to comment on the situation, and SCEA spokesperson Dave Karraker says Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is handling the situation directly with the authorities in Manchester. Considering that Resistance has been out since last fall and a million copies have already been sold, doesn't the Anglican Church seem late to the party? Not to mention out of touch. Brian Ashcraft

Insomniac Won't Comment
Uphill Battle [Games Industry]