Verizon to Greece: Sorry for Parthenon photo

One would think that the copyright to publish photos on a 2,500 year-old temple would have expired by now, but Greek laws on the Parthenon are very clear. Telecom giant Verizon Communication Inc. has had to publicly apologize to Greece for using an unlicensed photo of the famous Athenenian temple, reports the Associated Press.

Verizon said in a statement that it did not know it was breaking any laws and apologized for using a picture of monument in a newspaper advertising campaign, a culture ministry statement said.

Culture Minister George Voulgarakis said the advert "was an insult to a monument that belongs not only to Greek but to global culture. We are satisfied with the American company's apology," he said.

The Greek government has very strict laws and hefty fees regarding commercial use of still and video images depicting ancient monuments in corporate advertising. The Greek government allowed the Parthenon to be used in a corporate advertisment only one time -- after Royal Philips Electronics NV lit up the temple for the 2004 Athens Olympics.