Ashghal responds to artist’s claim of plagiarism in plant maze design

Doha: Public Works Department Ashghal has issued a clarification in response to the infringement of intellectual property rights claim of artist Abdulhameed Al Siddiqi.

In a statement on its website Ashghal stated that it “welcomes working with artists and asserts on existing prior and permanent cooperation with local artists and residents, because we consider the success of Qatari artists as Ashghal’s success.”

“As for the claims of Abdulhameed Al-Siddiqi that there is an infringement of intellectual property rights, this argument is not true because the Public Works Authority has designed a large plant maze in the form of map of the State of Qatar to be centered in the heart of the park. Its lines, exits and entrances have been designed in line with other parks and surrounding landmarks and views. The design also follows the international standards for corridors, which distinguishes this work focusing on the locations of major cities on the map and lighting them in a way that highlights their locations,” the statement said.

“This architectural engineering work was executed by the design team managed by Eng. Hessa Al Kaabi of Ashghal, since the beginning of the project. The idea of maze was not used or displayed by any party or artist at the time, and according to the Copyright Law No. 7 of 2002 Article 4, paragraph 3, mathematical concepts may not be monopolized, and only the idea emanating from them can be protected. Thus, anyone may invent the maze in the form that fits their ideas.

“As for the map of the State of Qatar, the map is the property of Qatar, and Ashghal is a governmental entity responsible for building infrastructure projects in Qatar. Therefore, Ashghal’s implementation of the design of plant maze in the form of Qatar’s map is not considered an infringement on the rights of anyone. The idea of plant mazes is part of public parks everywhere and we have just added the Qatari touches by designing the maze in the form of map of the State of Qatar with a focus on the main cities to become a distinguished work, representing the slogan of Ashghal ‘Qatar deserves the best’.

“We hereby clarify that work of Abdulhameed Al Siddiqi is an artistic image in the form of a fingerprint shaped in the map embedding the speech of stability of HH Amir of Qatar. However, the artwork is completely different from the engineering work of maze executed by Ashghal.

“Whereas the idea of the fingerprint is a globally practiced idea. The connection of fingerprint with the map of Qatar has appeared back in 2016, before Al Siddiqi’s claimed work, where the logo in the form of fingerprint shaping map of Qatar has won through a competition conducted by Qatar Green Buildings Council. This was published and used in Qatar in 2016 during the sustainability week, well before the idea of Bachir Mohamad that was registered in 2018.”