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Egypt seeks to copyright The Pyramids

int.iol.co.za — In a potential blow to themed resorts from Vegas to Tokyo, Egypt is to pass a law requiring payment of royalties whenever its ancient monuments, from the pyramids to the sphinx, are reproduced.

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  • thechr0nic, on 12/26/2007, -47/+11I for one, welcome our Egyptian overlords
    • fani, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2I don't
    • trezegol, on 12/26/2007, -0/+7you're only about 2600 years late.
      • bolognium, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1as far as you know.. they've been digging tunnels around the world - starting from those pyramids. they have giant centipedes just waiting to be unleashed on all that defy Ra!!!!
        • Godlike, on 12/26/2007, -1/+1Is that how they plan to enforce something so stupid?
  • spurtle, on 12/26/2007, -3/+273The Great Pyramid of Giza and Sphynx were completed around 2570BC and 2494BC respectively. That means their copyrights would have expired at around 2500BC and 2424BC and therefore are now public domain.
    • whorunbartertwn, on 12/26/2007, -51/+8If Ron Paul was president they would be the people's pyramids with no regulations. Wake up folks!
      • petrodollar, on 12/26/2007, -4/+15Libertarians are generally pro-property rights. Why would intellectual property be any different?
        • LeeSoong, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2i have decided to patent the rectangle and the cube,
          everyone using square or rectangular buildings must pay me 5 dollars a day for licensing my idea...

          pyramids belong to the Mayans, the Egyptians are copycats
      • bsl4doc, on 12/26/2007, -3/+27That's actually the OPPOSITE of what Ron Paul would do...he's pro-private ownership, not public ownership.

        Another Paul-bot who doesn't even understand what they like about him...
        • bjornski, on 12/26/2007, -3/+11Yup. Ron would ENCOURAGE it's private ownership, and allow the owner to do what he wanted with it.

          Charge admission, copyright the images, strip search you at the door to make sure you're not stealing sand to avoid buying it at the gift shop, etc.
      • geekchic, on 12/26/2007, -2/+11Umm, you are aware that he is running for President of the USA, not of Egypt?

        They are different countries.
      • Myonosken, on 12/26/2007, -6/+5^ Are you people aware that was sarcasm. Check his history.
      • bolognium, on 12/26/2007, -2/+2Ron Paul isn't a commie - you're thinking of hillary.
    • Hobbes24, on 12/26/2007, -5/+34it says egypt "seeks to copyright", but i didn't hear a "dibs!"

      that being said, I would like to formally declare dibs on behalf of the united states...of course being dibs caller i will be entitled to certain profit margins....
      • soulkitchen, on 12/26/2007, -2/+18I am currently seeking copyright on the sky and moon. These will add nicely to my collection of The Sun and the Brooklyn Bridge. I am also copyrighting the middle finger straight at egypt.
        • Chirp08, on 12/26/2007, -5/+4Yeah, Peter, did you see that TPS report? I'm gonna need you to pay me some money...I already own the copyright for steal, and your bridge, being made of steal, seems to be bit of a problem.. could you have that on my desk by noon? That would be great
      • cawpin, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5"are reproduced"

        I'm pretty sure a pointed building doesn't count as a reproduction. Good luck enforcing that.
        • faskill, on 12/26/2007, -0/+8I want to copyright the remaining geometric shapes. That's right, I've officially called dibs on the "Rhombus"
        • Gerz1219, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2You can have your rhombus. I'm copyrighting the sphere, so I'll get a piece of all solar energy.

          The earth, being an oblique spheroid, would presumably belong to some other wise copyright holder.
      • ordig, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1And I call dibs on the rectangle. Anyone building rectangle shaped buildings must now pay me royalties.
    • a3r0, on 12/26/2007, -2/+16...By American copyright laws
      • DogBotherer, on 12/26/2007, -0/+8And there are plenty of attempts by companies to extend copyrights and patents indefinitely
      • nebion, on 12/26/2007, -0/+12By pretty much any copyright laws currently in existence - the American are among the ones that last the longest, and even they aren't retroactive.

        I think that they are talking about some other kind of protection besides copyrights; some people like to incorrectly use "copyright" as a generic term referring to any kind of legal protection including patents and trademarks. Of course I didn't read the article...

        I don't think there is a precedent for anything like this, though, and in this case it would be very hard to justify creating a new kind of protection - the pyramids are sufficiently old that the current Egyptian people have nothing in common with the ones of that period beyond geographical location.

        My guess is it's just Zahi Hawass being an ass as usual (he has also made it kind of difficult for researchers from other countries to get access to pyramids and other interesting places in Egypt).

    • vidar808, on 12/26/2007, -1/+25Well, I am going to copyright the rectangle. That should get me some royalties.
      Maybe the gray hue of concrete while I am at it.
    • Yamahaha, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1They need to invent a Cheap Chinese knockoff, maybe call it a Pearamid.
  • PistolSO, on 12/26/2007, -0/+102I think the author means trademark, but I think the Aztecs and the Mayans would furiously object to Egypt claiming to want to put IP on pyramids
    • spaceman84, on 12/26/2007, -6/+20Good thing both of those peoples are nearly completely wiped out. You can't even find anyone who speaks their languages anymore.
      • mhearne, on 12/26/2007, -1/+19Actually, you should include the Egyptians as well, since that race, language and culture hasn't existed since the Muhammadans rode through (with their library burning thugs) in the 7th century AD.

        I do respect the fact that the Egyptian government wants to preserve things, even if it is to attract tourism. Remember that the outer casings of the pyramids were removed in order to build Cairo, and other cities. I can just visualize how they must have looked before being defaced; much like polished modern architecture.
      • sw33tsarin, on 12/26/2007, -2/+12Thats funny, cause when I went to Mexico I visited quite a few Mayan villages, and they all spoke Mayan. Guess They never really existed.
        • kryptocaine, on 12/26/2007, -2/+3Yeah, and when I went to Guatemala there were thousands of people speaking Mayan.
        • navitatl, on 12/26/2007, -1/+6I had a similar experience in Belize. It was great spending time in the Mayan villages, though I've never felt like more of an outsider. And just in case you didn't know, the language isn't actually called "Mayan". You most likely heard K'iche.
          • sw33tsarin, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Thank you for that info, I didnt know it was called K'iche. Unless my guide told me that and I forgot, which is very possible.
      • AlbinoRaven, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1Actually the tribe called the vandals (a real germanic tribe) and other notable european tribes rode through and burned down the library of alexandria hundred of years before that. There wasn't much left for the Muslims to burn down after the Christains got through with it.
    • Hobbes24, on 12/26/2007, -2/+38i think the aliens who actually built the pyramids have the rights to them.

      : P
      • kahrytan, on 12/26/2007, -14/+2No. We built them, not the 'aliens' you speak of.
        • faskill, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5We, like people collectively? Because I don't remember building them. I'm not that talented nor am I that ambitious.
        • yodaj007, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4Haven't you ever seen StarGate?
    • Synova, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1ziggurat != pyramid
  • jaymzdean, on 12/26/2007, -4/+62Have they consulted the Illuminati about this??
    • stevenbao, on 12/26/2007, -0/+18Oh, and look at the back of the dollar bill.
      • bjornski, on 12/26/2007, -0/+7They'll be requesting ownership of all of those. I'm sure you understand. Thank you for your support.

        And come visit!
    • lovestospooge, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4They consulted Majestic 12
    • specialK16, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2The la-li-lu-le-lo!
      • TheNeptune, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2It usually annoys me when people "out" references, but I can't help it - love it :-) I'm still convinced Sons of Liberty is 100% true!
  • MalachiConstant, on 12/26/2007, -2/+80I'd give them this right, if they could prove that they were the ones who built them. Let's start by being told HOW.
    • scallon, on 12/26/2007, -9/+46with ramps and lots and lots of slaves.
      • dstz, on 12/26/2007, -0/+20I think the most accepted theory is that they weren't slaves but skilled workers (damn you Futurama).
        • MessiahCakes, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1To cure recessions and low unemployment, no less.

          I guess that'll be one less strategy for the Feds to pick up.
      • Tippis, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2They should have kept the ramps -- they would have been a far more impressive feat than the pyramids themselves.
    • ChaosProfessor, on 12/26/2007, -7/+49Slavery Gets ***** done
      • rnawky, on 12/26/2007, -2/+21So that's where my cotton T-Shirt came from.
        • AlbinoRaven, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1Naw, that's underpaid child labour you are thinking of.
    • fuzzmeister, on 12/26/2007, -6/+14It really is amazing what you can make people carry if you whip them enough.
    • zachblume, on 12/26/2007, -7/+15To the three people above me: pyramids weren't built by slavery.
      • D3koy, on 12/26/2007, -15/+13Yeah, they were built by Neighborly Jews, perfectly willing to help there Egyptian friends in exchange for not being whipped to death...
        • dyous87, on 12/26/2007, -7/+9Zionist idiot, show me where in history this comes up except bs Jewish propaganda (aka: the book of exodus)
        • WootZoot, on 12/26/2007, -1/+18The ancient Egyptians did keep Jewish slaves, however those slaves did not build the pyramids. They were built by well payed skilled workers. the Pharaoh wouldn't trust slaves to build his home for eternity.
          • cranium, on 12/26/2007, -1/+1There's no evidence of this outside of the bible.
          • LeeSoong, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1The Bible is 100% literal truth, flawless and perfect in every way.
        • .Steven, on 12/26/2007, -1/+4I think there was a hint of sarcasm in D3koy's comment.
        • XBSHX, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5@WootZoot: Actually slaves did help build them, they weren't the ones setting stone or anything but they were used to haul all the stone and such around.
        • TheUngod, on 12/26/2007, -1/+3...bs Jewish propaganda? I didn't know Mahmoud Ahmadinejad posted on Digg!
      • fuzzmeister, on 12/26/2007, -2/+12Remember to source your claims, children.
    • pyrotix, on 12/26/2007, -2/+5They used a primitive cement. None of this "moving giant rocks hundreds of miles" nonsense. The Egyptians knew plenty about chemistry and made the pyramids with cement *on the spot*.
      • CatsAreGods, on 12/26/2007, -0/+8Close, but you mean concrete, not cement.
        • trolleyfan, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2No, they didn't. They carved big blocks of rock, and hauled them up.

          For Pete's sake, you can _visit_ the quarries the stone is from. They're right "next door..."

          Making "concrete" stones doesn't even make any sense, because now not only do you have to haul the mass of concrete mix to the top of the pyramid (the same mass as a carved block), but you _also_ have to haul a near equal mass of water up there as well!

          You've doubled your work in one fell swoop.
          • Memitim, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Doubled the total workload, but greatly reduced the supporting infrastructure required since you could technically get it done at that point with buckets rather than having to create elaborate means of moving multi-ton blocks laterally and vertically.
          • trolleyfan, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Since either way, _all_ your work is human powered (with a little animal power here and there), you could create "elaborate means" that were so elaborate, ever square inch of them was covered in detailed carvings, with a mechanism that was both delicate and complex, and the trade-off against _doubling_ the amount of material you have to move is _still_ a no brainer.

            Less stuff to move wins every time.

            And BTW, since you're now moving it in bucket-sized amounts, you're increasing the number of trips up and down the pyramid by all the workers about an order of magnitude. Worse, since you've replaced a big block of stone where the ropes to drag it weigh about 1% of the load, for small buckets of stuff where the amount of the buckets is more like 10 or 15% of the load, that means - to simplify - that a simple doubling of the weight of material that goes up the pyramid is being overly generous!

            The blocks were carved. Again, you can _visit_ the quarries. Deal with the reality of it all, 'kay?
    • AzureRise, on 12/26/2007, -7/+5We're in ur desert's, building ur pyramidz.
    • betterth, on 12/26/2007, -1/+6The pyramids were built by farmers and working class Egyptians during the rainy season when the nile was overflowing, depositing silt on the fertile banks that the farmers used as farmland. During the season they had nothing to do, so they were occupied with building ridiculous structures.
    • ivandir, on 12/26/2007, -1/+4Using slaves, beer and cheap whores.
      • Frei, on 12/26/2007, -1/+3Much like the founding fathers of the US.
  • TornACL, on 12/26/2007, -1/+24There goes their tourists. Come right up sir, 100 dollars for a picture.
    • killerbob665, on 12/26/2007, -0/+0from what i understand that isn't actually the case, it says "does not forbid local or international artists from profiting from drawings and other reproductions of pharaonic and Egyptian monuments from all eras" i presume this means pictures and the like are ok.
  • vault, on 12/26/2007, -0/+49what a total scam.
    • Chirp08, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4does this mean they get triangles and geometry by association? cause thats a pretty sweet deal for them..
    • geddon, on 12/26/2007, -1/+4Capitalism at its finest!
  • airwalkery2k, on 12/26/2007, -1/+91Luckily, I already own the copyright for spheres and obelisks.
    • av4rice, on 12/26/2007, -1/+42Fancy way of saying balls and penises
      • airwalkery2k, on 12/26/2007, -1/+20Michelangelo was a dirty pirate. I own at least 2% of the statue David.
        • metaknite, on 12/26/2007, -1/+19Have you seen David? It's more like 1% and that's not when has just come out of the ocean.
          • Nougat, on 12/26/2007, -0/+10I'm desperately trying to come up with a dirty joke about where the Venus de Milo's arms went ... but I got nothing.
          • RahulkFromSG, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1why are people replying to replies of replies of replies of comments of this story
          • ilves7, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5Because so far this is the best continuous reply thread I've seen on Digg... bitch.
  • EXECUTiVE, on 12/26/2007, -19/+2pics or it didn't happen
  • URnotheonly1, on 12/26/2007, -1/+32To bad its a world heritage site and the UN has control. Next time think about your sovereignty before you run off trying to be cool
  • oneoverzero, on 12/26/2007, -0/+3Because copyright hasn't expired yet.
  • jasqwerty, on 12/26/2007, -1/+100I own the copyright on triangles and squares. Clearly the pyramids are unauthorized derivative works.
  • Flashman, on 12/26/2007, -3/+15"The new law will completely prohibit the duplication of historic Egyptian monuments which the Supreme Council of Antiquities considers 100-percent copies."

    Easy. Just don't build them to the same blueprints.
    • enri, on 12/26/2007, -0/+3I'm going to take a wild guess and say the pyramids in Egypt don't have casinos in them.
  • BradMajors, on 12/26/2007, -3/+65How can Egyptians claim copyright on something extraterrestrials created?
    • Nudar, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5Even if aliens did not create it, the modern day Egyptian shares virtually no DNA with the ancient Egyptian. Today's Egyptians are predominantly Arabs.
    • LeeSoong, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4They can't, the Goul'd put a GPL on all pyramid landing platforms, to support universal standards.
  • mearom, on 12/26/2007, -0/+12better pay or egypt is going to, um, uh..... Did you know an obolisk is supposed to represent a giant penis?
    • geoff1210, on 12/26/2007, -1/+7egypt has old tanks sitting in the desert... they might uh... use them... they are just south of the pyramids...

      Google maps and type in 29.800782,31.169109 then make sure you goto satellite, those are tanks there.

      sorry, but I found it about a year ago, and I have been waiting to share it... (went to the pyramids and just kinda went around the desert..._
  • AlienX3.5, on 12/26/2007, -2/+31I guess each american dollar printed means a dollar sent to Egypt.
  • postpawl, on 12/26/2007, -0/+23First Paris Hilton copyrights "That's hot.", now this... We need some international copyright reform.
    • l0k0, on 12/26/2007, -0/+8And coach Green trademarked "They are who we thought they were!" Ever wonder why you don't hear the happy birthday song on the radio? Because some douche copyrighted that too. It's getting ridiculous.
      • Cubedude04, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2And Lleyton Hewitt is going to copy write the phrase "Come On" and the hand gesture which everyone knows Fox in Super Smash Brothers Melee did first
      • CatsAreGods, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2Er, that's because they actually wrote it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_To_You
        • MacEnvy, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2It was written forever ago, and it's in common public use. You'd have to be a douchebag to keep the copyright on something of that much perceived value in society.

          Oh, and it was written in 1893, and a COMPANY has a patent on it. Unless you're one of the Hill sisters who wrote it, ***** off copyright whores.
    • mojotooth, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Well, we (really meaning you) should start by learning the difference between patents, copyrights and trademarks.
  • DirtPile, on 12/26/2007, -0/+9Iraqis should copyright the Babylonian base-60 system and charge us every time we look at a clock. I'd pay.
    • mhearne, on 12/26/2007, -0/+7The Iraqis are not descendants of the Babylonians. The Assyrians, Medians and Babylonians are all extinct races. Nearly all of the original races of the Middle East have been replaced by Arabs and Bedouins.
  • BahJayJay, on 12/26/2007, -2/+116I don't know.... sounds like a pyramid scheme to me.
  • Evocati, on 12/26/2007, -0/+24"Protect our interests" Translated: "Make loads of cash"
    • mriegger, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4Its a shame Egypt doesn't have any natural resources that they could exploit to make some money
  • TomRitchford, on 12/26/2007, -13/+3I'm generally against IP rights as abusive but in this case, I think it's a fine idea.... share the wealth! A transfer of capital from mindless idiots stealing from a good idea to the heirs of ancient civilizations.... let's do it!
  • askjoe, on 12/26/2007, -2/+5I believe the pyramids belong to Aliens .....hands of your Egyptian money grabbers! LOL .....this is so incredibly stupid it's not even worth my time - but I posted anyway!
  • Shrubber, on 12/26/2007, -1/+7If I copyright spheres, can I demand royalties from every single person on earth?
    • BahJayJay, on 12/26/2007, -0/+9No, just rotund folks.
      • DavidGX, on 12/26/2007, -4/+1So then every single person in America.
        • RahulkFromSG, on 12/26/2007, -2/+0you mean all the males and transsexuals and fatties
    • adwarereport, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Yes, but only if they create perfect spheres.
  • Suzuka09, on 12/26/2007, -3/+5Im Egyptian, and I Think this is extreme
    • SillyDigger, on 12/26/2007, -1/+11Want a cookie?
    • mhearne, on 12/26/2007, -2/+1Probably not extreme. Egypt does have a right to protect her historical interests. However, antiquities are not exactly new intellectual property. The Assyrians were electroplating 4,000 years ago.

      I think that the decisions should be taken away from the politicians and given over to the scientists. At least they know what is worth saving and can probably do a better job of it. The images of the pyramids are ingrained in every child's mind as a part of history. That is, they are a part of the roots of all of the civilized world.

      Let's start a voluntary fund so that all the people of the world can donate. Not because it's the law, but because it's the right thing to do. I think the response might be much more positive without a threat of force, as in all things.
    • Ndiggnation, on 12/26/2007, -3/+1I think it's eXXXXtreme, to the MAXX!
  • ninepointfive, on 12/26/2007, -0/+16what a load of *****
  • D3koy, on 12/26/2007, -1/+20Fine, but we copyright Suspension bridges...tear 'em down, boys...them be America's toys
    • geekchic, on 12/26/2007, -2/+6Suspension bridges have been found going as far back as the 3rd century BC.

      Your copyright fees would have to go to China.
    • SpoonMachine, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1not if i copyright copyrights
  • rarson, on 12/26/2007, -0/+17Copyright has reached the point of absurdity. It's time to to scrap it and figure out something that makes more sense.
    • JQP123, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Just because someone attempts something absurd with copyright doesn't necessarily make copyright absurd.
  • bieber, on 12/26/2007, -2/+10This is nice and all, but it means nothing to anyone outside of Egypt. Luck for us, other countries can't just pass laws that say people in other countries owe them money and expect to enforce them. Welcome to the concept of national sovereignty...
    • nblsavage, on 12/26/2007, -4/+5Tell that to the U.S.
      • SaladCactusKing, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2Oh please, we're not going to invade Egypt
        • carpespasm, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2nope, but the idea of national sovereignty has been lost on this administration.
    • geekchic, on 12/26/2007, -2/+2There are international conventions which the US has signed up to as regards respect for copyright laws.

      It is technically possible for this to be legally binding in the USA - under existing provisions within the US legal system.
      • JQP123, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1"It is technically possible for this to be legally binding in the USA..."

        The only part of architectural works that fall under US copyright law or international treaty are the original plans and drawings so no, it is not technically possible for a copyright on the pyramids to be legally binding in the US.
  • robche, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2 i dont think they are copyrighting th concept of a pyramid, just those pyramids specifically. i wouldn't object to this ONLY if all the royalities went to research, or preservation of the pyramids themselves.
  • macwisdom, on 12/26/2007, -0/+6OK so can Italy copyright, aqueducts, bath houses, and Let the Greeks copyright all their ancient inventions, Hey they started the Olympics they should get a cut of the pie from those addvert $$... While I don't like John Stossle "GIVE ME A BREAK"
  • toxictonic, on 12/26/2007, -0/+7In other news, a major Native American Casino seeks to copyright the Tipi.
  • Dumbledorito, on 12/26/2007, -1/+12Does this mean my four-sided dice are illegal now?
    • Nougat, on 12/26/2007, -0/+9Those are tetrahedrons. You bring shame to geeks everywhere.
      • carpespasm, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2actually it's thought that the later egyptians looked at the pyramids and thought that the shape was mirrored under the sands as well. If they go with the conceptual idea of the pyramids then they would be tetrahedrons.
        • Nougat, on 12/27/2007, -0/+2No, they would be octahedrons. Please turn in your STNG communicator insignia at the next meeting. Bring your copies of Office Space, too. Yes, *all* of them.
  • Spanq, on 12/26/2007, -0/+8Yeah, and they're going to collect how?
  • Dumbledorito, on 12/26/2007, -0/+13The Goa'uld would like a word with the Egyptians about this "copyright" stuff.
  • petrodollar, on 12/26/2007, -11/+3I was at a middle eastern joint in nyc and this middle eastern girl comes in wearing tight, short clothing, dancing up a storm, flirting with all the guys in the place for a while. Then after a bit she calls someone on the cell, an escalade comes by with tinted windows, and a few huge dudes show up and bring her into the car. Turns out it was king (then crown prince) abdullah of saudi arabia's daughter.

    Some member of the jordianian royal family is at harvard now. His security is pretty light; mostly just one bodyguard. If someone wanted to take him out and stick it to jordan, it wouldn't be that hard.
  • Scheissen, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5Proof that copyright laws are stupid.
    • nebion, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1In many ways, copyright laws are stupid; this is not one of them, as the designs are not currently protected by any copyright laws, and even in Egypt it seems that it would require a change in law - which would not be enforceable by international copyright treaties.

      If Egypt passes such a law, the worst is that they might use it to tax people who sell memorabilia to tourists.
  • GhostyBoy, on 12/26/2007, -0/+18Screw that, we're just going to download them anyway.
  • SnowyMongoose, on 12/26/2007, -0/+19"Thirty-five million tourists visit Las Vegas to see the reproduction of Luxor city while only six million visit the real Egyptian city of Luxor," the paper lamented.

    Maybe thats because damn near close to a scary part of the world right now, and vegas has strippers.
    • shaka776, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4And also because "what happens in Luxor, doesn't necessarily stay in Luxor".
      And then you get your hand chopped off for it.
    • jstem1994, on 12/26/2007, -0/+1Ever been to Egypt? I did, in the Navy in '89. The smell alone is enough to keep me away, and the tour bus took us to the same damn shop 4 times to get us to buy their crap. And the hustlers outside the pyramids and sphinx? ***** them.
  • rq60, on 12/26/2007, -4/+2i fail
  • mrlivingston, on 12/26/2007, -0/+15What are they going to do, tell their mummy on us?
  • richardtallent, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2So, now how much MORE of our dollar bill will go to the Middle East, with them collecting royalties on literally every dollar bill?
  • TiggyThaiMein, on 12/26/2007, -5/+6Don't the Jews get to copyright this first?
    • mhearne, on 12/26/2007, -2/+4No, they didn't build the pyramids, they made bricks. Maybe they can patent bricks, or copyright the formula.

      Since there was no money back in old Egypt, taxes were paid by working on pyramids and monuments a few months out of each year. The old slavery nonsense is just junk out of the movies.
  • SaladCactusKing, on 12/26/2007, -3/+2Soon the world's going to have to deal with some Al Sharptonberg screaming about how us Jews should get reparations.
  • JubbaG, on 12/26/2007, -1/+2Luckily mathematical representations are still safe: Area of the Great Pyramid = 1/3 length * width * height
    • branjb, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2Actually that formula is wrong. It's 1/2 * base * height, and that gives you the area of one side of the pyramid. For entire surface area, you'd have to multiply by sides as well.
      • SQLDigger, on 12/26/2007, -1/+1I will charitably assume he meant to say volume instead of area, as that is the correct formula for volume of a pyramid with a rectangular base . . . Christ, this may be the lamest comment I've made in months.
  • somespecial, on 12/26/2007, -4/+1Lol, I should copyright the house.
  • xjeffx, on 12/26/2007, -0/+4France tried to do something similar with the Eiffel Tower. It didn't work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower#Image_co ...
    • helloplease, on 12/27/2007, -0/+1And I was about to make a joke about the Eiffel Tower. :|
  • bungoman, on 12/26/2007, -0/+7Wait, how can they enforce this outside of Egypt? What if every other country just tells them to ***** off?
  • zaldoe, on 12/26/2007, -1/+1WTF is this ? Does India have to copyright Love just because it has the Taj Mahal ? of course not ...
    • Niightwitch, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2They don't have copyright on "Love", but they do have copyright on "The Love Shack".
  • Xizer, on 12/26/2007, -3/+2Haha, this is one of the more desperate things I've heard of a country doing for revenue. Just how do they intend to enforce this? I'm pretty sure that when the Egyptian government starts calling people up in other countries they're just going to get told to go blow a dick.
    • bjornski, on 12/26/2007, -0/+2As someone higher up said, the most they'd be able to do with this is go to the trinket vendors in town, and tax them for selling ***** to tourists who want to "take home a pyramid"

      And make it harder for international researchers to work there.
  • Cryoniq, on 12/26/2007, -0/+5And the humanity once again show of more meaning of egoistic greed..
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