An 11 year-old “Doodle 4 Google” winner has seen her artwork changed by the search giant after the Aboriginal flag it features was the subject of a copyright claim by its creator.
To celebrate Australia Day, Google invited people to enter artwork for their 2009 “Doodle 4 Google” competition.
The winner was 12-year-old Jessie Du, whose artwork adorns Google’s Australian homepage today.
Sadly her work has now been graphically adjusted due to a copyright dispute.
“You may have noticed that the Google Doodle on the homepage today is slightly different to Jessie’s original entry, because that one contained copyright imagery that we weren’t able to publish on the homepage today,” said Google product marketing manager Katharina Friedrich.
The problem lies with the inclusion of the Aboriginal flag in the center of the artwork, notably missing in the adapted version in the second image you see above.
Harold Thomas, who designed the flag as a symbol of unity and identity for the Aboriginal people, refused to give Google permission to reproduce the design without payment.
Article from: FreakBits