No extra cent for card on billion euro bills

Whose Europe is on the Euro notes? An Austrian cartographer finds himself cheated out of his copyright by the ECB. Another court has now rejected his additional claim of millions.

AFrom Lothar Beckel's point of view, the story is bitter: In 1996, the Austrian cartographer took part in a competition for the future euro banknotes, won, and, according to the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, received 25,000 Austrian schillings – and the depiction of Europe he proposed later adorned the back in billions the banknotes. There are currently almost 30 billion euro banknotes in circulation worldwide.

Weren't the equivalent of 1,817 euros a bit too little for that? Beckel complains. But in 2022, the regional court ruled that the man with a doctorate, who was once an Austrian ESA astronaut candidate in his life and will be 90 this August, is not entitled to any subsequent compensation.