By Yan Zhuang, Photo: Steven Saphore/Agence France-Press/Getty Images, The New York Times, January 26, 2022
When Laura Thompson, an Indigenous businesswoman, received a cease-and-desist letter in 2019 telling her to stop selling clothing that used the design of the Aboriginal flag because it violated the copyright, she was shocked.
“I just never thought for a moment that I could face legal action for using the Aboriginal flag that I thought belonged to all Aboriginal people,” said Ms. Thompson, who is from the Gunditjmara tribe and is the chief executive of Clothing the Gaps, a fashion social enterprise in Melbourne.
Now, two and a half years later, the Australian government has bought the copyright to the flag for 20 million Australian dollars ($14 million), a move that allows anyone to reproduce the emblem on clothing, merchandise and artworks without seeking permission or paying a fee.
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