File:Wapen-gouda.jpg

This image depicts a coat of arms of a (former) Dutch governmental jurisdiction, municipality, province, water board (Dutch: "Waterschap") or diocese. These coats of arms have been registered with the Hoge Raad van Adel [1], and are/were being used by the organisation to which the coat of arms was granted by Royal Decree (Dutch: Koninklijk Besluit). Every person is allowed to use the image of the arms, with some restrictions, see fragment below of the Ministerial Notice of 3 September 1979 (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken) (Dutch).

Fragment from the memo: The depiction of a municipal coat of arms is allowed: the municipality holds no rights of creation of the coat of arms. There is also no objection against the use of a municipal coat of arms al for localising objects that are traded or that are being advertised, just as long it is ensured that no impression of municipal involvement or responsibility is created.

In view of Dutch legislation the use of the arms or reproductions thereof is regarded as being in the public domain. Everybody is allowed to make a drawing of the arms (on paper or electronically) in his/her own style based on the Royal Decree and claim it to be the arms of the municipality and uses it within the restrictions shown above. But there is copyright on each individual representation of the arms. This copyright lies with the artist that made that specific drawing based on the Royal Decree, not by the municipality.