… yet another story proving that copyright constrains public discussion and free speech, but this time with a Remembrance Day flavour. The White Poppy was suggested in 1926 as a “No More War” poppy for pacifists: “The White Poppy symbolises the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts than killing strangers,” says the Pledge Peace Union website. In 1933, the Co-operative Women’s Guild in Britain produced the first white poppies and “stressed that the white poppy was not intended as an insult to those who died in the First World War - a war in which many of the women lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers” (again from the PPU).
But the Royal Canadian Legion has a problem with the poppies, and an Edmonton Journal article explains that these alternative poppies are actually illegal in Canada. The problem? Rod Stewart, a vice-president of the legion’s Alberta-Northwest Territories Command, spoke with Edmonton Journal writer Bill Mah, who wrote:
The poppy, in any form other than a real poppy, is a registered symbol of the legion and can’t be used without permission, Stewart said. He said the legion will ask the groups selling white poppies to stop. Legal action has been used in the past to enforce trademark infringement, he said.
Legal action against voices for peace? Quelle crock.
-SIO