A Scottish photographer has blocked the release of a Croatian coin because he believes it breaches copyright by featuring his work.

Iain Leach, 63, took a picture of a pine marten on a tree branch on June 8, 2005, in Scotland.

He was baffled to learn that a near-identical picture won a contest for a €1 coin, to be launched next year when Croatia joins the euro.

The designer who submitted the picture to the Croatian National Bank has withdrawn the image - and is said to have handed back a prize of €10,000.

Leach, from Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, a retired consultant, said he had no plans to sue and wished Croatia well in choosing a new design.

In the Middle Ages, marten pelts were used as a form of currency and an image of a marten appears on the Croatian currency. The Croatian word for marten, una, is the name of the current currency in Croatia.

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Croatian coin stole pine marten picture, claims Scottish photographer Iain Leach(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/croatian-coin-stole-pine-marten-picture-claims-scottish-photographer-iain-leach-m87phn2vp)