Egypt to Copyright Landmarks

The New York Times reported (username/password: clancco) yesterday of Egypt’s proposed legislation to stop the copying in the West of famous Egyptian landmarks, like the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and Luxor. Part of the reason seems to be that Egypt is quite pissed off that more people in this day and age would rather see the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas than the Luxor itself. Well, if only the Luxor offered free liquor, craps, topless babes, and all the Cheez Whiz you can inhale.

Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, explains why Egyptians are so pissed:

“The new law will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments which the Supreme Council of Antiquities considers 100-percent copies … .If the law is passed then it will be applied in all countries of the world so that we can protect our interests… It is Egypt’s right to be the only copyright owner for these monuments in order to benefit financially so we can restore, preserve and protect Egyptian monuments.”

The proposal is said to not “forbid local or international artists from profiting from drawings and other reproductions of pharaonic and Egyptian monuments from all eras – as long as they don’t make exact copies. … Artists have the right to be inspired by everything that surrounds them, including monuments.” He certainly doesn’t have to worry about any New York based artists.

For more on this story, check out The Patry Copyright Blog and Donn Zaretsky’s thoughts on this and its potential effects on The Statue of Liberty.