8 July 2013 Last updated at 13:10 GMT
Freddie Mercury Norwich Go Go Gorilla in copyright row
Organisers of the Go Go Gorillas art trail were asked to remove and repaint the Freddie Mercury gorilla
A gorilla sculpture painted as Freddie Mercury has been removed because it infringes copyright.
Organisers of Go Go Gorillas, a conservation art trail in Norwich, were contacted by Mercury Phoenix Trust, an Aids charity set up in memory of the Queen singer who died in 1991.
The trust claimed the suit the gorilla is wearing breaches copyright.
It asked that the sculpture, called Freddie "Radio Go Go" Gorilla, be removed and repainted.
The sculpture, which stood on Millennium Plain outside The Forum, was painted by Mik Richardson.
“Freddie is one of our most popular gorillas on the trail and now we've got to remove him from the streets”
Martin Green
Break
'Dreadful and petty'
Mr Richardson, 50, of Aylsham, Norfolk, said the decision to order its removal was "absolutely shocking".
He said: "It's dreadful. It's petty, really. The night I was told I couldn't sleep."
Mr Richardson was paid £800 to design and paint the gorilla, which took him three days.
"I'm a mural artist and I have to be very careful about copyright," he said.
"I didn't copy the suit exactly. I alter enough so that it's fan art, rather than a copy of it.
The Go Go Gorilla suit is an homage to the one worn by Freddie Mercury
The "Radio Go Go" gorilla is one of 53 life-size gorillas decorated by Norfolk artists and displayed on the streets of Norwich over the summer.
An additional 67 baby gorillas, painted at local schools, made up the public art trail.
Mercury Phoenix Trust contacted Wild in Art, the company that supplied the gorilla glass-fibre canvases, according to director Charlie Langhorne.
"They just said that they own the copyright on the suit and asked us to change it," Mr Langhorne said.
"That's being sorted. To save any bother we will change it.
"We do quite a few bits and pieces for them but it's no great shakes.
"We would rather not have to do it but it's not the end of the world."
'Enjoy a gorilla'
He said the gorilla would be repainted with a "new and exciting design" and should be back in place within 10 days.
The Freddie Mercury gorilla sculpture will be repainted
"People in Norwich will have a new gorilla to enjoy soon," he said.
Martin Green of Break, one of two charities that will benefit from the auction of the gorillas once the exhibition is over, said: "It's a disappointing position they have put us in.
"Freddie is one of our most popular gorillas on the trail and now we've got to remove him from the streets, but we're respecting the wishes of another charity.
"It's a sad story, but the positive news is that we'll end up with another gorilla on the streets."
The Born Free Foundation, which counts Queen guitarist Brian May among its celebrity supporters, was also set to benefit from the October auction of the Freddie Mercury gorilla to help support conservation projects in the Congo.
Mercury Phoenix Trust was unavailable for comment.
They previously commissioned a "Freddie Lion" for a Pride of Cape Town art trail in May.
