The Saami Council, representing the Sami people of Sweden and northern Scandinavia, sent Square Enix a letter demanding they remove the FFXIV glamour set Northern Attire, saying the publisher violated the indigenous people’s rights. The Northern Attire glamour set features a full outfit – clothing for head, torso, arms, legs, and feet – with a deep blue center and distinctive red pattern on the borders and first showed up for sale in January 2023.
Fanbyte obtained a copy of the letter the council sent Square Enix, where council president Áslat Holmberg said that, even aside from the cultural issues of letting people attire themselves in traditional Sami garb without consent, Square Enix is violating intellectual property rights as well.
“Our cultural property rights are not theoretical,” Holmberg said. “They are protected and protectable under intellectual property laws, which are generally harmonized throughout the world. Square Enix, as a media company, is highly aware of intellectual property laws and has no excuse for this blatant violation of Sámi cultural property.”
🚫 The Saami Council demand @SquareEnix to immediately remove the Final Fantasy XIV costume set “Far Northern Attire”! These elements are Sámi property and Square Enix has infringed on our rights
More info: https://t.co/eeRt13chx0 pic.twitter.com/l4CyQfXd0E
— The Saami Council (@SaamiCouncil) February 16, 2023
The Saami Council’s Twitter page posted a GIF outlining the problem and accusing Square Enix of “dismissing” their concerns in January. Square Enix has issued no public statement about the Council’s concerns, and that alleged dismissal prompted the new demand. Square Enix has also not issued a statement about this latest development, and as of the 6.3 update, the attire set remains available for purchase.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
