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Rainbow no case of copyright infringement

Mr. Russell apparently regards the colour spectrum in a religious context
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Rainbow no case of copyright infringement

Thanks for bringing us the letter from Mitch Russell, June 16, regarding rainbow crosswalks — it’s an important reminder of the freedoms we expect in a civilized society.

Mr. Russell apparently regards the colour spectrum in a religious context, drawing comfort from his belief that it assures him the world will not be inundated in the foreseeable future, an opinion that he is perfectly entitled to hold in a society that values religious freedom. But Mr. Russell’s freedom to interpret an image his way does not give him the right to impose his interpretation on others or prohibit them from taking comfort from it through their own interpretation, or for that matter, not to interpret it at all.

Mr. Russell seems concerned that the rainbow crosswalk is some sort of copyright infringement or intellectual property offence against an “Original Creator”, who Mr Russell assures us will “win in the end.” This suggests an entity that is very powerful but pretty small-minded, a little like Donald Trump. I would like to think that if there is such an entity, he, she or it would offer us a lovely image like the rainbow under an open licence, so that anyone could use it to promote hope and optimism in their own way. That would be more consistent with our society’s commitment to freedom of religion, which of course includes freedom from religion, and I hope it would also promote an attitude of open-mindedness in all of us.

Dave Macmurchie

Shawnigan Lake