16 verified laws filed under Entertainment, each checked against the statute and sourced.
True. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 264, section 9 makes it an offence to play, sing or render the Star Spangled Banner in a public place other than as a whole and separate composition, or as dance music, an exit march or part of a medley, with a fine of not more than one hundred dollars. The 1917 statute is still on the books.
California law prohibits anyone from eating — or using for any purpose — a frog that dies during a frog-jumping contest. The dead frog must instead be destroyed as soon as possible.
Despite widespread belief, card counting is not illegal under any federal or state law in the United States. Casinos can — and do — ban counters from their private premises, but no law criminalizes the mental skill itself.
Mexico's federal Law on the National Arms, Flag, and Anthem (1984) explicitly prohibits altering the words or music of the national anthem and performing it without the required solemnity. Violators face fines, up to 36 hours arrest, and in commercial cases, much steeper financial penalties — and the law has genuinely been enforced.
A circulating claim alleges that photographing a sunset in Greece requires a permit from the local municipality. No such law exists — Greek law explicitly permits photography in public open-air spaces without a permit.
Greece requires a Ministry of Culture permit for commercial or professional photography and filming at ancient archaeological sites, museums, and monuments — but ordinary tourist photography for personal use is freely allowed.
The claim that Liechtenstein specifically bans whistling after 10 PM as a noise disturbance violation is a myth. No such statute or ordinance exists in Liechtenstein's official legal database.
The Eiffel Tower's iconic nighttime light show is protected by French copyright law as an original artistic work, meaning commercial use of night photos requires prior authorization from the tower's operating company. However, simply taking the photo — or sharing it for personal use — is not illegal.
Venezuela's 2009 Law for the Prohibition of Violent Video Games and Toys banned the manufacture, import, sale, rental, and use of violent video games and toy weapons nationwide. Violators who sell or distribute can face 3–5 years in prison, while those who merely promote such games face fines of 2,000–4,000 tax units.
Spain's audiovisual laws restrict violent content during children's viewing hours, yet bullfighting — legally shielded as 'intangible cultural heritage' — has repeatedly been exempted from child-protection measures, including being restored to prime-time state TV over child welfare objections.
It is widely claimed that the Philippines has a law making it illegal to sing karaoke out of tune in public establishments. No such law exists at the national or documented local level — karaoke regulations in the Philippines target noise volume and hours of operation, not musical pitch.
India's Aircraft Act of 1934 classifies kites as 'aircraft,' technically requiring a permit to fly them and making dangerous flying punishable by up to 2 years in prison. Separately, a real and actively enforced law bans metallic and synthetic 'manja' kite string nationwide — but the specific '1,200 feet' height limit in the claim has no traceable basis in Indian law.