Aeroplane and other manufacturers demand royalties from model companies wishing to depict their products in miniature. This is fine for their commercial vehicles, argues Internet Modeller, but now they are increasingly demanding money to use the names and likenesses of their military creations. IM’s argument is that the names of the military’s toys are public domain as the taxpayer, through the government, paid for the development and acquisition of such things as the F22 rather than the companies that went on to build it.

No doubt this licencing issue also exists for video games, but will it extend to authors wishing to be the next Clancy? Are the B-52s and U2 going to get backdated demands for royalties?