Sir Ed

I am not sure what to think here ... As you might know, New Zealand's most famous person, Sir Edmund Hillary (the first person to climb Everest, along with Tenzing Norgay), died last year.

Now sadly there is controversy over his estate. Sir Ed left bequeathed his personal papers with the proviso that his children would have access to the material as they saw fit. It seems that there lies the rub. Who owns the intellectual property.

I have no idea who is right or wrong; he was a national icon and one could argue, as he possibly intended, that the archives are there for the public. But then you might also understands the dilemma his family faces.

So, national interest vs family interest. Or is it all about money?

May Sir Ed rest in peace. He would not have wished this to happen.

BTW, if you hadn't already guessed, this is a photo of the Twitter post from the museum ...

Links:
Sir Ed's family sue over papers
PM offers Hillarys and museum mediation
Museum Press release