Turkish Cypriot claims Cyprus flag royalties
A Turkish Cypriot artist who claims to have designed the Cypriot flag is suing the Nicosia government for 46 years worth of unpaid royalties he claims he is owed, Turkish newspapers reported over the weekend. The 82-year-old Ismet Guney claims to have created the Cypriot flag, which bears the image of a yellow map of the island and green olive branches on a white background, in 1960. Guney says he was promised an annual reward for the use of the design by Archbishop Makarios, the Cypriot president then. The Greek Cypriot lawyer representing Guney has demanded that Cypriot authorities either compensate his client for using the design for the past 46 years or stop using the flag. The unnamed lawyer has reportedly also written to Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos to promote his client’s demands.
