# The Peace $ymbol? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peace-ymbol/154303 "2003-02-11T05:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jb\_007clone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@jb\_007clone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_007clone)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peace-ymbol/154303/1 "2003-02-11T05:57:47Z")
I did a search through the archives and read up on the peace symbol, but does anybody own it’s image? For example, if I wanted to use it on a bunch of t-shirts I was going to sell in stores, would I have to buy the rights from someone? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peace-ymbol/154303/2 "2003-02-11T06:16:22Z")
I suspect that you’re probably safe. I doubt that Mr. Holtom was thinking in terms of compensation when he designed it and I do not ever remember seeing the symbol with a ® or a ™ connected to it. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-peace-ymbol/154303/3 "2003-02-11T06:18:17Z")
Like the Smiley Face, I don’t think it was ever patented. “The Direct Action Committee, a group pushing for nuclear disarmament, invented the peace symbol in 1958. The forked symbol is actually a composite of the semaphore signals “N” and “D,” to stand for nuclear disarmament.” ([http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/uselessfacts/invent/004.html](http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/uselessfacts/invent/004.html))