"Manneken Pis is one of our national symbols, " says a Belgian Coke spokeswoman.
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In time of conflict, national symbols are frequently used to engage the populace and enlist them in the war effort.
Removing beavers entirely from Canada's national symbols would be labour-intensive: a stone beaver sits on top of the entrance to Parliament and appears on Canadian nickels.
Like airlines, stock exchanges are symbols of national pride, not easily done away with.
While there's growing consensus about the need to deal with flags carrying the symbols of illegal paramilitary groups, the flying of national flags remains - as the Belfast council dispute illustrates - difficult terrain.
But it was due also to effective organisation: after the National Electoral Council ruled that the ballot would not show any party symbols, the Patriotic Pole organised a huge voter-education drive, passing out millions of cribsheets telling supporters which of the more than 1, 100 candidates to back.
Other companies and individuals have tried to trademark other Mexican symbols in the past, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's national anthem, Montezuma's headdress, nopal (cactus) and tequila.
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Stonehenge is one of the most enduring symbols of the UK. With the 2012 Olympics only two years away, the UK National Commission hopes that the funding can be secured from alternative sources.
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France's National Assembly began debating a controversial bill to ban the wearing of the Muslim headscarf and other ostentatious religious symbols in French state schools and other public institutions.
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