Tories face copyright complaints over unlicensed Burnham cartoon bottles
The Conservative Party distributed water bottles mocking Andy Burnham at their Birmingham conference without obtaining permission from illustrator Stanley Chow for the cartoon image used. The move prompted copyright complaints from Chow, who had not authorised their use, and from Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell.
The bottles were branded as "Bottler Burnham" with satirical references about being "0 per cent strength" and "bottled under pressure from Badenoch". Chow originally created the image during Burnham's time as Greater Manchester mayor and had previously licensed it to Labour for campaign use. The artist stated he will seek legal advice, noting that Reform UK had deleted its use of the same image earlier this year after he threatened legal action.
- Conservatives used copyrighted image on water bottles without artist's permission
- Illustrator plans legal action after unauthorised use at party conference
- Labour previously licensed the image; Reform UK removed it after legal threat
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The Conservative Party distributed promotional water bottles at their recent conference featuring a cartoon of Andy Burnham, a Labour politician. The image was created by cartoonist Stanley Chow, but the Conservatives had not obtained his permission to use it on the bottles.
Chow created the cartoon during Burnham's time as Mayor of Greater Manchester and had previously licensed it to Labour for campaign purposes. This has prompted copyright complaints from both Chow and Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader.
This is not the first dispute over the image. Chow previously threatened legal action against Reform UK over its use earlier this year, prompting the party to delete it. He has now stated he will seek legal advice regarding the Conservative Party's use of his work.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The cartoon was already established in political circulation, and using it on campaign merchandise to satirise a rival represents political expression and commentary. Fair use protections for parody and political speech exist to enable robust political debate; this represents a relatively minor campaign use that does not materially damage the artist's commercial interests. Requiring political parties to license every recognisable image used in satirical campaign materials could unreasonably restrict free political expression and the ability to engage in critical commentary.
The case against
Copyright protection is unambiguous and applies regardless of political context. The illustrator explicitly withheld permission, and the fact that Labour had previously licensed the same image demonstrates both its commercial value and that legal licensing was available to the Conservatives. Using someone's creative work without consent violates their right to control and profit from their labour; allowing well-resourced political organisations to freely use copyrighted work in campaigns sets a damaging precedent that undermines the intellectual property protections vital for creative professionals.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Bit wet, Andy? Labour complains about Tories using cartoon image of ‘bottler’ Burnham for conference water merchandise”.