Dispute over George Price’s Likeness and the I.C.J. Referendum Campaign
Billboards of well-known Belizeans, including national heroes Phillip Goldson and most recently George Price, have sprung up across the country as the I.C.J. awareness campaign continues to be rolled out by the Referendum Unit. In Belize City, a giant display of George Price overlooks Central American Boulevard near its intersection with North Creek. The use of Price’s image caused a letter to be sent on behalf of the Price family by attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley. While the letter requests the prompt removal of all signage depicting George Price, Ambassador Alexis Rosado, who heads the Referendum Unit, says that there is no copyright on the words spoken by the Father of the Nation.
Alexis Rosado
Alexis Rosado, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala
“The Honorable George Price is being put out there as the national hero that he is and the statement that is attributable to him on that billboard is exactly what he had said and was known to have said many times, not just once. Even though he belonged to a party, at the end of the day he was the national hero for independent Belize and nobody owned what he had to say. As far as we are aware, we have been contacted by one member of the family who claims to be representing the estate and what I did is directed them to the Solicitor General’s Office. I have been hearing that I should have received a letter by now with the complaints. I have not received any, but like I said, maybe they sent it to the Solicitor General’s Office. As far as the advice we got is that this is a national issue that we’re dealing with, the Guatemalan claim. The Father of the Nation maintained that dealing with the Guatemalans is a national issue and any complaints about the owning of his figure, of his image, of his words, I’m advised that there is no such thing as copyright material on what he may have said publicly. So the complaints would be properly directed to the SolGen’s office, not necessarily to this office.”
