Govt scraps Covid-19 memorial costing over £19,000 over copyright concerns

The Gibraltar Government has decided to scrap the Covid-19 memorial due to copyright issues.

The decision to scrap the project was first reported by Panorama on Friday and comes five months after the Government filed the planning application for the Covid Memorial in Campion Park.

A Government spokesman told the Chronicle the memorial was already under construction when the decision not to continue with the project was taken.

“The costs incurred until the project was stopped was £19,850,” a spokesman said.

A competition was held locally in 2021 for the design of the memorial to remember all the Gibraltarians who passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A design titled ‘Memorial Light’ won the competition, featuring a flame with a light at the centre.

But after the winning design was announced, the same design was found on e-commerce websites as an outdoor torch lamp sold for around $20.

That raised concern about copyright and the originality of the design.

The entry form for the competition outlined that all entries must be the original work of the individual and must not have been published or exhibited elsewhere or have won a prize in any competition.

“It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that their entry does not infringe the intellectual rights of any third party or any laws,” the competition entry form stated.

The winner of the competition received a £2,000 cash prize and the Government has confirmed the prize money has been returned.