For the last few years, "many more tourists [35 million] ... travelled to the pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel in Las Vegas than to Luxor itself" and Egypt has decided
it's had enough with everyone else making money off its image. Egypt is "planning to pass a law that would exact royalty payments from anyone found making copies of the country's ancient monuments or museum pieces, including the pyramids."
Interestingly enough, the pyramids are not the only landmarks you have to pay to use. Ever wonder why you see the
Empire State Building in a lot more movies than it's much more beautiful neighbor the
Chrysler Building? Well, turns out the Chrysler Building (along with the facade of the
New York Stock Exchange and
the lions at the New York Public Library) are
actually trademarked. Explaining why the Empire State Building isn't trademarked, a representative said, "The Empire State Building belongs to everyone ...The last thing I'd want to do is restrict the use of the building. I know it's kind of diminished when it's got a thermometer stuck inside. But we love to see the building everywhere."