WILLEMSTAD - The Bureau of Intellectual Property will validate the new design for Curaçao's national emblem. This was announced by Sithree van Heydoorn, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, in a letter to the Parliament.
The discussion surrounding Curaçao's national emblem has been ongoing for over a year. This comes after last year's winning design, created by graphic designer Andresetti Monart, contained elements from images found in the photo and image database Shutterstock.
In response to the controversy, the government's auditor, SOAB, was brought in to investigate whether the participants in the design competition adhered to the established criteria. The investigation also aimed to determine if there had been a breach of copyrights and whether the candidates were potentially favored. Although the winning design received praise, it will be used, at most, as a concept that needs further development.
The Bureau of Intellectual Property will validate the design, after which a team of experts will work on its professionalization. This process will be accompanied by an extensive information campaign, according to the minister.
SOAB's advice to the government is to prioritize transparency and documentation more strongly in any future continuation of this process to prevent a repeat of last year's incident.