EDMONTON — Alberta's plan to add the slogan “Strong and Free” to its license plates appears to have hit a roadblock.
Denise Dow of Saint John, New Jersey, runs Strong and Free Emblem Inc. since 2007 and currently owns the copyright to the phrase.
Earlier this month, she said she learned that Premier Danielle Smith's government wanted to change the slogan on its license plates from “Land of the Wild Rose” to “Strong and Free”, possibly infringing her copyright.
Dow says she's not looking to pick a fight and wants to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with the province, but the Alberta government says no one can monopolize the market with the phrase.
Service Alberta spokesman Kevin Lee said the license plates are not a commercial product.
In an email, he noted that “Strong and Free” is part of Canada's national anthem and is written in Latin on the province's coat of arms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025.
