Actually, I think they have copyright not the idea of ! triagle, but this specific execution with the shading and stuff. Remarkably, you can get a copyright on something that is common, if you narrowly restrict it to the actual specific content and not the general content.

I’m amazed that someone who chats about copyright so much wouldn’t know that.

“Works of the United States” are by statute deemed to be exempt from Title 17 and the rights associated this Title. In other words, such works would ordinarily reside in the public domain.

However, these is a provision in the pertinent statute that nothing in it prevents the USG from holding copyrights trnsferred to it by “assignment, bequest, or devise”.

To date there has been only one case of which I am aware that has considered this statutory provision. In that case it was held that the USG did in fact hold copyright to a work that had been assigned to it because under the facts of the case it was not clear that the reasons underlying the statutory prohibition had been paid short shrift. This was the Community for Creative Non-Violence case within the DC Circuit about 20 years ago.

Hence, the answer to the question at this time can only at best be answered “who knows?” without a detailed analysis of the facts associated with the creation of these ads. If they were done by persons in the USGs employ the answer is obviously “No, copyright does not exist.” If however, they were done by third parties, then further facts need to be fleshed out before an opinion can be offered.