An upcoming deadline banning climbing Uluru has led tourist flocking to the area.

Former Labor senator and Olympian Nova Peris is leading the fight against a clothing company that purchased the copyright to the Aboriginal flag.

WAM Clothing was given exclusive rights to reproduce the Aboriginal flag on clothing by Luritja artist Harold Thomas, who designed the flag in 1971.

Since acquiring the exclusive clothing licence for the flag, WAM Clothing has reportedly sent several “cease and desist” notices to Aboriginal-owned businesses that use the flag on clothes, along with the AFL, which uses images of the flag on club jerseys for indigenous round.

Ms Peris, who in 2013 became the first indigenous woman elected to federal parliament, on Monday took a Change.org petition with around 50,000 signatures to a group of Labor politicians.

Speaking to ABC Radio, the 1996 Olympic gold medal winner explained if she was competing today, she would have to get WAM’s permission to wear the flag on her clothing to race or face legal action.

“We pretty much have to get down on one knee and beg them to use our flag. We have to pay to use it,” Ms Peris said.

“In 1995 there was a proclamation made by the Governor-General to claim this flag as the flag of the Aboriginal people. So it was a flag before a legal copyright came over the top.

“We want equal rights to our flag like other Australians have equal rights to their flag.

“When you look at that flag it’s symbolic of us as a race of people that goes back 50,000 years, even though it’s only 48 years old.”

The 48-year-old criticised Mr Thomas’ decision to licence the flag to WAM, which was founded by non-indigenous owners Semele Moore and Been Wooster in 2018.

“(Mr Thomas) basically said, ‘This is my flag, this is my dreaming, this belongs to my family’, and so Aboriginal people across the country are like, ‘What the hell? How do you say that?’

“We the people have made that flag and elevated it to its status today.”

The Change.org petition was started in June by Spark Health, an Aboriginal-owned and run business that focuses on indigenous health and welfare. Spark Health is one of the companies threatened with legal action.

It uses the Aboriginal flag on its Clothing The Gap products, which help raise money to go back into the Aboriginal community.

The petition calls for the licensing agreement to be changed.

“This is not a question of who owns copyright of the flag. This is a question of control,” the petition reads.

“Should WAM Clothing, a non-indigenous business, hold the monopoly in a market to profit off Aboriginal people’s identity and love for ‘their’ flag?

“We believe that this control of the market by a non-indigenous business has to stop.”

However, WAM Clothing claimed it had reached out to Spark Health and offered to discuss a resolution but received no reply.

“Regarding Spark Health Pty Ltd/Clothing the Gap, they have not taken up WAM Clothing’s invitation to discuss the correspondence or options available,” the company said in a statement.

“It makes it difficult to resolve concerns or reach a resolution when organisations such as Spark Health Pty Ltd/Clothing the Gap do not contact us to discuss.”

WAM Clothing also confirmed it was in discussions with the NRL and AFL about the use of the flag on clothing.

The company noted before it entered into the licence agreement with Mr Thomas, he was not receiving recognition or royalties from the majority of companies reproducing the Aboriginal flag.

“We’re pleased that Harold is now starting to receive his rightful recognition and subsequently royalties for his copyright,” the statement read.

“WAM Clothing has obligations under its licence agreement to enforce Harold Thomas’ copyright, which includes issuing cease and desist notices.”

The company also included a statement attributed to Mr Thomas.

“It’s taken many years to find the appropriate Australian company that respects and honours the Aboriginal flag meaning and copyright, and that is WAM Clothing,” the flag designer said.

“The Aboriginal flag is doing its job as it was intended to do, to bring unity and pride to all Aboriginals.

“At times we get the few who snigger and are disenchanted. I can’t satisfy all black people who wish to break up the Aboriginal unification.”

Mr Thomas has licensing agreements with just two other companies — one to reproduce the flags and another to reproduce the image on objects.