Chilean Miner Copyrights "Estamos Bien Los 33" Note

If this don't make you cynical nothing will: Jose Ricardo Ojeda, the Chilean miner who wrote the original note found by rescuers 17 days after they were trapped 2300 feet below ground, "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33," or "We are okay in the refuge the 33", from which the group's nickname, "Los 33" was born, has had his sentence copyrighted. Ojeda also wants his note back which Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has kept, calling it a national heritage piece.

To be fair to Ojeda, his inspirational sentence began appearing on coffee mugs and t-shirts all over Chile before he was even above ground and the copyright was actually registered on his behalf by Chilean writer Pablo Huneeus. The idea was said to have been sparked when Huneeus saw Piñera showing the note off all over Europe and handing out copies of it to dignitaries.

"I thought 'That's just too much'," said Mr Huneeus. "According to our law, copyright for a creation, invention, song, a piece of art, belongs to the author. This phrase is a work of art," he said, "and one couldn't choose better words. Using the brain is a way of making money."

Source: BBC News, The Australian