The US Playing Card Company has started issuing cease and desist orders to manufacturers of the Iraq's Most Wanted playing cards (see 'War Profiteering:  Toys and Cards').  While US Playing Cards was happy to let the Department of Defense use its decks as the basis for the Iraq's Most Wanted cards, the company objects to other firms and individuals copying the deck and reproducing it for profit.  Although the 52 main cards are in the public domain, the two joker images used by the Department of Defense are not, since they feature the famous Hoyle joker image that is the intellectual property of US Playing Cards.  US Playing Cards is printing replicas of the cards issued to U.S. troops and has made them available exclusively (both retail and wholesale) through the greatusaflags.com website.

 

The Defense Department did not originally realize that the deck that they created included US Playing Cards exclusive images, and therefore the DOD originally announced that the cards were in the public domain.  US Playing Cards has contacted the Defense Department and the DIA is now advising the media of the copyright situation.  From the US Playing Cards point of view all Iraq's Most Wanted decks produced by other companies are in violation if they use the Hoyle joker image, or not true reproductions of the deck designed by the U.S. Department of Defense if they alter the joker.