Lance Franklin and Daniel Rioli join calls for copyright of Aboriginal flag to be abolished
Lance Franklin has voiced his disapproval over the copyright of the Aboriginal flag, declaring how important it is to be present during Indigenous Round, while Tiger Daniel Rioli has also weighed in. HAVE YOUR SAY
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Indigenous great Lance Franklin has backed calls to abolish copyright of the Aboriginal flag.
Franklin said he was disappointed the iconic red, black and yellow flag would not be painted on AFL grounds and would not appear on player jumpers for this weekend’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
He said he stood with Essendon legend Michael Long and Olympian Nova Peris in their demands to make the flag free for all to use.
“It’s disappointing that there is copyright over the Indigenous flag and it can’t be used freely as an expression and emblem of cultural pride,” Franklin said.
“It is extremely disappointing not to have our flag represented during Indigenous round and I hope the issue can be resolved for the next Indigenous round. It’s important for our game and for our people.”
In June, Franklin’s clothing company pulled T-shirts and merchandise featuring the Aboriginal flag from shelves.
The company, Buddy Franklin Authentic, was criticised for selling items manufactured by WAM Clothing, which purchased the copyright licence to the Aboriginal flag in 2018 and charges commercial fees for its use.
Franklin immediately cut ties with WAM.
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The AFL remains committed to its principle of not paying to use the Aboriginal flag, league boss Gillon McLachlan says, with attendees to Saturday’s Dreamtime clash in Darwin encouraged to bring the flag and take a stand.
McLachlan said the league’s indigenous advisory council has considered the issue over the last 12 months and “made a very clear recommendation” to the AFL not to enter into a commercial arrangement with license holders WAM.
“It’s an official flag of Australia and it should be able to be displayed proudly and people should be able to use the flag without entering commercial arrangements,” McLachlan said on 3AW.
“And that’s a clear advice from the advisory council and I take their lead on that and support it and believe it.
“That is absolutely true (that it’s a stand on principle, and not money).”
Richmond forward Daniel Rioli has also expressed his disappointment that the Aboriginal flag will not be a centre piece of Saturday night’s Dreamtime Game in Darwin.
The Tigers forward said it was a “once in a lifetime” chance to play the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round match against Essendon in front of his family but it would feel like something was missing.
The iconic red, black and yellow flag will not be painted over the centre circle and it will not appear on player jumpers because of a dispute with a company that holds the worldwide licence for its use.
“It’s very ordinary, personally I would love it to be there because it’s been there every time a Dreamtime Game has been played,’’ Rioli said.
“I don’t know the reason behind it because the flag is what these games are all about and it’s what we play for.
“What are they going to put in its place? Something doesn’t seem right here.’’
Essendon legend Michael Long told the Herald Sun on Wednesday that he wanted footy fans to fill Darwin’s TIO Stadium with a sea of Aboriginal flags on Saturday night “in protest against the totally outrageous” copyright ban.
Carlton coach David Teague supported Long’s call, calling on fans to also fly the flag at the Blues match against Gold Coast this Friday night at TIO Stadium.
Describing the copyright dispute as a “sad story”, Teague said the flag should be celebrated.
Teague said it “would be great” to see fans with the flag flood the stands to celebrate the flag and what the Indigenous players have done for the game.
“We are there to celebrate what the Aboriginal players of the past have done, so I think it would be great,” Teague said on Wednesday.
“I think it’s a sad story what has happened, I’m not across it all to be honest, but from what I have heard it’s disappointing.
“And I would love the fans as much as they can to get behind all things Aboriginal, not just football and the flag, but their culture.
“There is so much to learn and you can always continue to learn and grow our knowledge around this area.”
Teague said the Blues were honoured to open the Sir Doug Nicholls round with their current group of Indigenous players, headlined by star forward Eddie Betts.
“For us we have got Eddie, Jack Martin, Sam Petrevski-Seton and Liam Jones. So we feel very honoured that we get to open Sir Doug Nicholls round,” Teague said.
“We as a football club have had some great history and our jumper this week represents the six current (indigenous) players on the Carlton list as well as the past and we want to do that proud.
“We think the aboriginal players of the past have brought so much excitement to the game so hopefully we can bring a style and a brand that excites the fans on Friday night.”
LONG URGES FANS TO PROTEST OVER FLAG COPYRIGHT
Essendon legend Michael Long wants footy fans to fill Darwin’s TIO Stadium with a sea of Aboriginal flags on Saturday night “in protest against the totally outrageous” copyright ban.
The iconic red, black and yellow flag will be missing from the centre circle and player jumpers during this weekend’s Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round because of a dispute with a company that holds the worldwide licence for its use.
The annual Dreamtime clash between Richmond and Essendon at TIO Stadium is the centrepiece of the celebrations.
“I’m calling on all supporters coming to the ground this weekend to bring an Aboriginal flag in support of what is happening,” Long told News Corp.
“I didn’t believe it when I first heard about it. I didn’t think it was real. It is a disgrace.
“That flag belongs to all Aboriginal people – not just to any individual.
“We are having the biggest game ever here in Darwin as part of Indigenous round and that flag is really symbolic.
“It is something that we fought for with the racial vilification of players who played the game and athletes like Nova Peris and Cathy Freeman – they have flown the flag for Aboriginal people.”
Long said AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder, chief executive Gillon McLachlan and league diversity boss Tanya Hosch needed to use their political clout to help overturn the flag ban.
“The AFL supported the Black Lives Matter games and I think this is just as important,” Long said.
“They can take the lead on this. I think it’s time we stood up for what is right. The Australian flag is owned by the Commonwealth and the Aboriginal flag is owned by the Aboriginal people.
“Tanya (Hosch) has got Aboriginal advisers and if they are advising her, they need to advise her to stand up.”
Peris, Australia’s first Aboriginal Olympic gold medallist, said plans by the AFL to replace the flag with the word “deadly” in the centre square were “embarrassing”.
The former federal senator is leading the national campaign to “free” the Aboriginal flag.
“Writing ‘Deadly’ on the field is ridiculous and I’m sure many people, particularly non-Aboriginal people, wouldn’t understand that gesture,” Peris said.
“It has very little meaning to older generations. It will be embarrassing if that goes ahead.”
Peris said the Aboriginal flag was “a symbol that was given to us in 1972 and we ran with it”.
“This is the only flag in the world with a copyright over it,” she said.
“It is recognised around the world. Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Midnight Oil, Jessica Mauboy and Cathy Freeman have all given the flag it’s notoriety and now it is being exploited.”
WAM Clothing purchased the copyright licence to the Aboriginal flag design in 2018 and charges commercial fees for its use.
A spokesman for Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt said he was disappointed the flag would not be displayed on AFL grounds this weekend due to the legal dispute.
“The Aboriginal flag is a powerful and respected symbol for all Australians and I know the creator and copyright owner, Mr Harold Thomas, encourages all Australians to fly and show the flag with pride,” the spokesman said.
“The Minister knows the decision taken by the AFL was a difficult one and understands it was only taken after careful deliberation and consultation with the AFL’s Aboriginal Advisory Council.
“The Australian Government is aware of the concerns around the copyright of the Aboriginal flag and is seeking to resolve the matter in a way that respects the rights of the flag’s creator while ensuring the flag continues to be a symbol of unity for Aboriginal people.”
The AFL said it had made a decision not to enter into a commercial arrangement with the licence holders of the flag on the advice of the AFL Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council.
“We will continue to celebrate the history and contributions of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to our code in all the other usual ways we do each year, which includes celebration and displays of cultures by traditional owners and all clubs proudly wearing their Indigenous designed guernseys in the round of matches,” a league spokesman said.
An NRL spokesman said they didn’t use the Aboriginal flag in Indigenous Round this year because of how difficult the copyright issues had been to deal with previously.
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Originally published as Lance Franklin and Daniel Rioli join calls for copyright of Aboriginal flag to be abolished