# Thanks for the memorial

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/1999/05/25/thanks-memorial/
- Published: 1999-05-25T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Times today called for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund to be wound
up. Its front page carried an illustrated article claiming that “the Diana, Princess
of Wales Memorial Fund is spending £30,000 a month fighting an American legal battle
over the late Princess’s image – the same sum it is receiving in public donations
every month.”

 

 

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The Times today called for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund to be wound
up. Its front page carried an illustrated article claiming that “the Diana, Princess
of Wales Memorial Fund is spending £30,000 a month fighting an American legal battle
over the late Princess’s image – the same sum it is receiving in public donations
every month.”

 

 

The article by Michael Harvey highlighted the fund’s legal battle with Franklin 
Mint, a US company which “is believed to have earnt [sic] more than £20 million 
from a range of plates, dolls and rings bearing the Princess’s image.” The fund 
is suing for alleged infringement of its intellectual property rights.

 

 

 

 

The leading article argued that the fund is “now little more than a litigating business
exploiting the “Diana” brand name,” and that it “should announce that it is winding
itself up and distributing its much-needed capital straight to those charities which
the Princess was actively involved.”

 

 

 

 

While the long-term future of the fund is a legitimate matter of debate, it is unfortunate
that the Times should criticise the fund for pursuing the legal fight. While the
Times leader acknowledges that “raising money for charity is a commendable activity,”
the newspaper’s approach fails to take into account that protecting one’s brand 
and other intellectual property is, for many high-profile charities, a fundamental
aspect of protecting their income-generation activities. The Memorial Fund and its
trustees are therefore acting correctly, however easy it is to point out the large
sums being spent (once again) on lawyers.

 

 

 

 

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