Australian government buys rights to Aboriginal flag for $14 million
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In a deal worth more than A$20 million ($14 million), Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has secured the rights to Indigenous artist Harold Thomas, who created the flag over 50 years old.
The deal means the flag can now be reproduced on clothing, merchandise, sports jerseys or artwork, without permission and free of charge. In a statement, Morrison said the flag had been “released”, adding that his administration had “sought to protect the integrity of the Aboriginal flag, in accordance with the wishes of Harold Thomas”.
The red, black and yellow design has been recognized as Australia’s official flag since 1995. But it became the subject of a trade dispute when a company that licensed Thomas’s image began demanding payment of various organizations that used it, including a health charity. , several clothing brands and Australia’s National Rugby League.
A 2020 parliamentary inquiry, which backed government efforts to clear the artist’s rights, called the licensee’s actions “heavy” but “entirely legal”.
A man holds the Aboriginal flag during a rally in Sydney, Australia. Credit: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
In a statement, Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt described the flag as an “enduring symbol close to the hearts of Aboriginal people”, adding: “Now that the Commonwealth owns the copyright, it belongs to everyone and no one can take this away.”
Harold Thomas, designer of the Aboriginal flag, photographed in 1994. Credit: Craig Golding/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media/Getty Images
“When I created the flag, I created it as a symbol of unity and pride,” he wrote. “This pride we have for our identity that refers to the birth of our dreams, to the present existence and beyond. And we humble ourselves and pay homage to all that has been created and left for us.
“The flag was never intended to be a political platform. Going forward, the flag will remain, not as a symbol of struggle, but as a symbol of pride and unity.”
Questions in progress
The Aboriginal flag projected over the Sydney Opera House on Australia Day 2021. Credit: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Morrison’s office said in a press release that Thomas would retain “his moral rights” to the design. And although the flag has been released for personal use, textile printing company Carroll & Richardson Flagworld “will remain the exclusive licensed manufacturer and supplier of Aboriginal flags and banners”. Royalties from these sales will go to the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC), with the government also announcing a new scholarship of A$100,000 ($71,000) in honor of Thomas.
In an email to CNN, the National Agency for Indigenous Australians confirmed that the multi-million dollar figure includes both fees paid to Thomas and “payments to licensees for the termination of their licenses”.
Australian government buys rights to Aboriginal flag for $14 million
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