Bradgate Park asks artist to pay £100 to sell cards
AN artist has been told to pay for the privilege of painting Old John – after asking Bradgate Park management if they could sell her greetings cards in its tearoom.
The Bradgate Park Trust wrote to Sarah King saying they weren’t interested in selling the cards right now, then asked her for £100 to continue using the local landmark in her work.
It comes after the Mercury reported how the trust was asking businesses using Old John in their branding to either become corporate partners or stop using the imagery.
Andy Foster, who runs Bradgate Landscaping from his home in Cropston was contacted out of the blue.
He said he would rather change his business name and logo than be told what to do by the trust.
The team at Bradgate Park said they had a right to protect their trademarks just as they had to protect physical property.
Sarah, who writes content for websites, loves painting and making collages of coastal views and iconic buildings in her spare time.
The 43-year-old mum-of-two from Narborough sells her greeting cards for £2.50 each through her website www. sarahkingart.co.uk.
She said: “I wish I’d never been in touch with the tearooms now.
“Basically I’m trying to set up my own art business and do it whenever I have any free time.
“I originally did the Old John piece for an exhibition and turned it into the cards.
“I thought a great place to sell them would be the tea shop, then had this letter back saying they were fully stocked at the moment, adding it was a registered trademark.
“Then they asked for £100 to cover the next five years. I know it’s not a lot but that’s on top of the money I have spent to get the cards and the prints done.
“Old John is such an iconic image and greetings cards like mine are probably doing the park good – I’m kind of promoting it.
“I would rather invest the money in my business.
“I have lived in Leicestershire for 20 years and want to promote the area. “It’s just a bit sad.” She is now worried about the consequences of other buildings she had done images of such as The Guildhall, Turkey Cafe, Loughborough Carillon and the Grammar school in Market Harborough.
The letter from Bradgate Park Trust director Peter Tyldesley said the Old John image was a registered trademark and the management team had an obligation to protect its “intellectual property rights and integrity”.
He wrote: “That said, we recognise the inspiration that this iconic Leicestershire landmark gives to local artists and makers and have no wish to place burdensome restrictions on local creative practitioners.
“We do not wish to appear heavy-handed and are looking for compromise ways forward following discussions with our legal advisors.
“The next step we require is for confirmation either that you wish to enter into such a licence, or that you will not offer for sale items which make use of the trust trademark.”
The letter said it was asking sole traders making less than £2,500 a year to pay £100 for the five-year licence.
Mr Tyldesley said money raised would go towards the £1.5 million annual upkeep of the park.
He told the Mercury: “This is the first time to my knowledge the trust has made a point to go out there and protect its rights.
“We are not stopping people taking photos of Old John, but if people are making money out of our trademark we are quite legitimately – and in line with charity law – looking for recognition.”
Currently 40% of the park upkeep come from parking charges, 35% through retail and catering, and much of the rest through rents, events and EU agriculture grants.