Government officials from Siena, Italy are unhappy with the inclusion of Piazza del Campo in Gran Turismo 5’s kart mode. Specifically, they object to the use of Piazza’s distinctive architecture and the use of flags and colors of the 17 districts.
“You can not use images of Contrade, in this case the flags without authorization,” Anna Carli, CEO of the Consortium for the Protection of Palio di Siena. “Given the relevance of the game with no history and references to our party, in particular with the use of images of flags of the contrade, we would not otherwise authorize the use.”
This, ironically, serves as more promotion for the game and its features. It also raises an interesting question about buildings and flags and whether they fall in the public domain or not.
Source: Corriere Fiorentino {link no longer active}
