Putting a price on the pyramids
作者：ANDREW MACASKILL, 21ST 时间：2008-01-18
来源：21世纪英文报第739期
ANCIENT Egyptians saw them as a pathway to heaven, now they are viewed as a route to riches. The Egyptian government is planning to pass a law to copyright its wonders of the world – everything from the pyramids to the Sphinx.
If the law passes, Egypt will seek royalties whenever one of its ancient monuments is reproduced. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the move was necessary to pay for the upkeep of the country's ancient sites.
"The new law will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments," he told Agence France-Presse. But for the copyright to be violated, the copies will need to be "exact replicas" in size and design.
As the pyramids date back 4,500 years, this will make it the oldest copyright in the world, raising questions about the right to copyright retroactively.
According to Professor John Mackie, a specialist in international copyright at Queen Mary's University in London, this law will be impossible to enforce and not just because the person that designed them is long gone.
"Enforcing that scheme internationally would require the cooperation of other countries," he said. "If no other nation recognizes it, then it's just a law against copying the pyramids in Egypt."
Copyright law usually only lasts 70 years. However, there are examples of copyright being established on older objects. The French government established copyright on photographs of the Eiffel Tower when it is lit up at night.
To get around the problem of retroactively copyrighting, the government sneakily placed a new lighting display on the building in 2003, thus altering its design and copyrighting that.
Why is it necessary to have this legal protection? In all the cases the main motivation is money, not protecting innovation. The Egyptian government particularly feels it is being cheated out of its cultural heritage
An Egyptian daily Al-Wafd recently published an article, calling for the Egyptian-themed Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas to pay a slice of its profits to the city of Luxor. "Thirty-five million tourists visit Las Vegas to see the reproduction of Luxor city while only 6 million visit the real Egyptian city of Luxor," the paper lamented.
Yoga, American-style
IN 2002, Bikram Choudhury, a yoga teacher in the US, obtained a US copyright on his style of yoga. The US has issued 150 yoga-related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories, and 2,315 yoga trademarks. The 5,000-year-old discipline generates $3 billion a year in America. In response, India is compiling a database for traditional knowledge, including yoga poses. The database will be available around the world so patent officers can see that yoga didn't originate in a US gym.
Egypt, Vegas-style
THE success of the Egyptian-themed Luxor hotel in Las Vegas may be behind the effort in Egypt to copyright its ancient archaeological wealth. The Luxor hotel stands 107 meters high and has 4,400 rooms. The hotel boasts its own King Tut Museum, which it says includes "authentic reproductions from what has been called the greatest archaeological find in the history of the world".
CHATTER BOX
A: I see Egypt is finally copyrighting its ancient monuments.
B: I think it's a good idea. Better late than never.
better late than never: 亡羊补牢，为时不晚。
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accessory 配件
antiquity 古代文物
archaeological 考古学的
casino 赌场，娱乐场
duplication 副本
heritage 遗产
lament 悲叹
Luxor 卢克索，埃及中部城市，内有卢克索神庙
patent 专利
replica 复制品
retroactively 追溯地
royalties 版税
sneakily 鬼鬼祟祟地，滑头地
upkeep 维修(费)
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