Compass PopOut Maps versus Berlitz Pocket Maps

A recent story in a publishing trade magazine tells how travel book retailers have been asked to withdraw a certain brand of pocket maps. Reason being that the latest maps on the scene bear too close a resemblance to the Compass maps that travellers know and love.

When a best friend of mine headed off to Oz for her year out after uni we boxed up some useful going away gifts, including a map of Sydney in PopOut origami style. It was the one thing she kept in her handbag during her whole time in the city of backpackers and bridge walkers.

We all know how amazingly useful a pocket size pop up map can be. Now it seems that the equally useful Berlitz maps have been accused of copyright infringement as they get a piece of this easily cart-about-able cartographical action.