We hope it’s used with the true pride it deserves.
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This June the National Archives is celebrating National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month, which honors the important contributions that LGBTQ+ Americans have made to United States history and culture.
#History of the gay pride rainbow flag free#
In this exceptional case, however, the world has benefited from the free access which the flag’s creator granted to every person. Facial Hair Friday: Gilbert Baker and the Rainbow Flag. As a result, although the gay pride month rainbow flag could qualify for copyright protection, it has become a hugely popular ‘free’ symbol with generations of people who use the colorful device in myriad ways to assert their own beliefs and identities.Ĭorsearch considers IP protection to be the heart of what we do and a reflection of the way the rule of law helps drive innovation and just, equitable relationships. § 102), he chose to avoid such claims throughout his life. copyright law as an “original work(s) of authorship fixed in tangible medium of expression” (17 U.S.C. Īlthough Baker could have potentially exerted his ownership over the flag under U.S. The pair succeeded in keeping the flag free and it remains so to this day. Having designed this new tribal mark, Baker told the civil rights attorney Matt Coles that it had been designed for everyone and that he needed assistance with preventing a rights advocacy group from applying for a trademark and claiming ownership. And that influence really came to me when I decided that we should have a flag, that a flag fit us as a symbol, that we are a people, a tribe if you will.” doesn’t say the word ‘Gay,’ and it doesn’t say ‘the United States’ on the American flag but everyone knows visually what they mean. “I thought that we needed that kind of symbol, that we needed as a people something that everyone instantly understands. The flag was designed and launched in 1978 by the artist Gilbert Baker, who described his intention from the start: Īlthough the rainbow flag is as instantly recognizable as the most iconic trademarks, it may surprise you to know that the creator of the flag never applied for a trademark or copyright protection, or exerted rights in this symbol of solidarity. The most recognizable symbol of LGBTQ+ identities is the rainbow flag, a banner deemed so important that it was acquired by New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2015 so that it could be added to other cultural icons including the symbol and the Google Maps pin. Pride celebrations are well known for their exuberant combinations of symbols. As a company which values diversity in our colleagues, clients, and partners, Corsearch would like to wish a happy Pride Month to all.Īs unconnected as it may seem to the world of trademarks and brand protection, the history of Pride does contain important touchpoints with the work we do, albeit from the reverse perspective. Each year, LGBTQ+ communities globally celebrate the progress towards equal rights that the pioneers within those communities worked for in the past and continue to campaign for today. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives“.For many people, the annual LGBTQ+ Gay Pride Month in June represents an important cultural milestone. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. “ The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional colour for baby boys. Helms describes the meaning of the transgender flag as follows: The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pink, and one white in the centre. The Transgender flag, created by a transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, was first shown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix Arizona in 2000. There are other variations of the rainbow flag, including the Bear Flag and the Transgender Flag.
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The 1978 original design also contained turquoise to represent art and magic, and hot pink which symbolises sexuality.