Yeah, you can see those large bulls by the roadside everywhere in Spain, except Catalunya...
I highly doubt that it's protected. The bull used to be trademarked in Spain, but it was appropriated by the public, and became a national symbol years ago. If a trademark is not used and defended, it loses its protection. That why Xerox occasionally posts full-page informational "ads" explaining "xeroxing" is not appropriate use of the word.
But IANAL, and I don't know the specific laws in Spain or EU.
feppe
You may be right, but the copyright (protection of the concept as a symbol of a product range) aspect of the bull thing was referred to here in Spain quite recently and that´s where I picked up on the payment-to-use issue, but I can´t remember the context so I can´t argue the result, only my memory of how it panned out. It is a trademark very much used by them, so I´d be surprised if they were lax in holding or protecting its value.
Anyhow, the value of Recuenco´s work derives, in my opinion, from an inescapable legacy of European religion, aristocracy and sophistication all thrown into a delightful mix of decadence and guilt. It´s the secret behind Federico Fellini, Sarah Moon, Marino Parisotto Vay and a host of exciting others. You just can´t fake it: you recognize and can empathise or you cannot, and it has nothing to do with your personal status either - it´s more basic than that and is about soul, not about how rich you are.
But jeez, what will happen to that stuff if all we are going to get is what the pundits here project: advertising exposure only on youtube or in the margins of Google... without printed copy or even TV or cinema commercial space, how will one ever appreciate it - or why would one pay to make it?
Rob C
