AnalysisNFTs
But is it legal? The baffling world of NFT copyright and ownership issues
With interest in non-fungible tokens growing fast, the legal questions are testing the experts
NewsArt law
US appeals court rules that Warhol’s reliance on a photographer’s portrait image did not constitute ‘fair use’
Decision appears to signal that appropriation artists may have to proceed more cautiously
NewsCopyright
Musée Rodin could be forced to release 3D scans of bronze sculptures—including The Thinker—to the public
Cosmo Wenman made a freedom of information request for the files and is taking the museum to court because it turned him down
NewsArt law
Jeff Koons and Centre Pompidou lose appeal in Naf Naf copyright case—now other French museums could be in the firing line
The American artist’s sculpture can now no longer be shown in France
NewsCatalogue raisonné
First online Max Beckmann catalogue raisonné to go live tomorrow as artist's work enters public domain
Hamburg’s Kunsthalle to publish photographs of 843 paintings for free research tool
NewsAustralia
Campaign to 'free' the Aboriginal flag gains momentum as Australian government seeks exclusive licensing rights
Made by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas in 1971, the rights to the flag design are currently held by Ben Wooster, a former art dealer previously fined $2.3m for selling fake Aboriginal works of art
NewsCopyright
Redbone music video sparks artist dispute over copyright infringement
Frank Buffalo Hyde says the imagery in the short film for the band's 1974 hit Come and Get Your Love released by Legacy Recordings this month is "too close to comfort" to his work
NewsLaw
Colour balance: painter Pat Lipsky sues over digitally ‘distorted’ images of her work
The artist says photographs of her canvas Bright Music II, offered for sale online, have been altered beyond recognition as her work
NewsLaw
Court dismisses Cady Noland’s lawsuit against collector and dealers who conserved Log Cabin sculpture
The conceptual artist, who disavowed the work, claimed that replacing materials without her consent violated the US Visual Artists Rights Act
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum mistakenly cites ‘all rights reserved’ as biggest postcard producer in Turkey
The error comes as the London institution launches a revamped version of its online catalogue
NewsRobert Indiana
Robert Indiana’s LOVE at centre of new $150m fraud claim
American Image Art founder alleges certain works are in the public domain and cannot be copyrighted
NewsCopyright
US copyright law comes under scrutiny as new legislation makes its way before Congress
A planned new mediation system, which aims to streamline copyright breach claims in the US, has loopholes that could deny artists justice, critics say
NewsLaw
Supreme Court rules film-maker cannot sue North Carolina for copyright infringement
Opinion finds Congress overstepped its authority with 1990 federal statute, but allowed for a new law to "stop states from behaving as copyright pirates"
NewsLaw
San Francisco artist sues Disney for copying her ‘tremendously cool’ painted van in Pixar film
Sweet Cecily Daniher rented her unicorn decorated vehicle to the studio for a party, only to find out its doppelganger will appear in the animated movie Onward
NewsArt law
UK light artist sues Miami botanical garden over 'unauthorised replicas' of his work
Bruce Munro claims the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens intentionally imitated his works for its festive event known as The NightGarden
NewsBanksy
The full story behind Banksy's pop-up shop in Croydon
Street artist has created merchandise range from disco balls made from riot police helmets to hand-stitched welcome mats
NewsLaw
Street artist sues Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart for copyright infringement
Julian Rivera says his heart-shaped “love” design was copied on a popular line of clothing without his permission
NewsCopyright
Taipei gallery accuses Mac Cosmetics China of plagiarising artist's work for lipstick campaign
Project Fulfill Art Space says Chinese branch of the cosmetics company did not have permission to use Chen Sung-Chih installation
BlogDiary of an art historian
The National Portrait Gallery's ethical dilemma
Plus, taking a stand on copyright
NewsArt market
Warhol's Prince series ruled fair use by a New York judge in contested copyright case
The ruling settles a heated two-year legal battle between the artist's foundation and photographer Lynn Goldsmith, who shot the original image in 1981
NewsCopyright
Bad guy? Billie Eilish video by Dave Meyers mirrors the work of artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari
The director seems to once again have borrowed from the work of visual artists, which has previously led to lawsuits against Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande
NewsCopyright
US singer Chris Brown accused of ripping off several artists’ work in Wobble Up music video
Marius Sperlich and Tony Futura are among those calling for greater copyright protection in the creative industry
NewsArt market
EU copyright crackdown is intended to protect artists, but might it damage their market instead?
New laws to stop copyrighted material from being uploaded to social media without permission could pose problems for those using sites like Instagram to sell art
NewsCopyright
Ai Weiwei denies his porcelain works borrow from Lebanese artist's prize-winning vases
Raed Yassin says there are "striking similarities" between his ceramic series on the Lebanese civil war and Ai's pieces on the Syria war and refugee crisis
NewsCopyright
Las Vegas-based artist claims that Ariana Grande plagiarised his work
Vladimir Kush is suing the 7 Rings singer for copyright infringement
NewsCopyright
Artist Lina Iris Viktor and rapper Kendrick Lamar resolve Black Panther legal dispute
Copyright infringement case centred on Constellations series
NewsLaw
Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech can keep its name, Paris court rules
Decision allows Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent to continue using trademark of French painter Jacques Majorelle
NewsLaw
Fair use or foul? An appropriation case involving Warhol raises an artistic debate in New York court
A legal battle over the Pop artist’s portraits of Prince is heating up
NewsLaw
Richard Prince defends reuse of others’ photographs
In court motions, he argues that his appropriation explores the virtual world of social media
NewsArt market
Copyright case brought by Naf Naf creative director against Jeff Koons finally comes to court
Franck Davidovici first accused the artist of plagiarising his 1985 advertising campaign almost four years ago
NewsLaw
Dalí foundation sues California museum for use of artist’s name and image
Monterey’s Dalí17, which displays the 500-work private collection of the Ukrainian-born real estate developer Dimitry Piterman, features the Surrealist’s face—complete with upturned moustache—on its logo
NewsCopyright
Elon Musk under attack over use of potter's farting unicorn image
The Tesla chief has defended himself, saying he helped popularise the mug design for free
NewsCopyright
French dealer awarded rights to Chinese artist T'ang Haywen's work
Paris court decision ends legal saga that began in 1991, when the artist died without an heir
NewsControversies
Once bitten, twice shy: Canadian artist caught using comedians' photos without permission promises no more funny business
Despite controversy over public art project in Calgary, Derek Michael Besant has been commissioned to create a similar work in Ottawa
NewsControversies
Palais de Tokyo removes work showing artist protesting against Dana Schutz's Open Casket painting
Parker Bright says protest image of him taken at Whitney Biennial was used by Neil Beloufa without permission
BlogDiary of an art historian
How abolishing museum image fees could boost audiences
New research shows that image licensing is barely profitable for some UK museums
NewsLaw
UK museums' right to charge image fees is called into question
Campaign for institutions to free up photographs of out-of-copyright works is backed by legal experts
NewsLaw
Christo and Smithsonian sued for copyright infringement over Running Fence images
Photographer Gianfranco Gorgoni says copies of his pictures of the California land art project were shown and reproduced without his knowledge
BlogDiary of an art historian
The reproduction fee hustle
Museums’ licensing demands are a pernicious tax on scholarship
News
Trinity Church sued by sculptor over 9/11 work removed from courtyard
Steve Tobin filed a complaint under the Visual Artists Rights Act saying the church violated his moral rights
News
Centre Pompidou broke even on Koons retrospective, Paris court decision reveals
Due to a €1.25m loan fee to the Whitney, the museum did not see many profits from one of their biggest shows ever
NewsCopyright
Richard Prince is sued yet again for unauthorised appropriation of photographs
Eric McNatt files lawsuit over artist’s reproduction of a portrait of rock musician Kim Gordon
NewsLaw
Instagram model and makeup artist sues Richard Prince over copyright infringement
Part of the New Portraits series, the work at the centre of the case was shown—and sold—at Frieze New York last year
NewsCopyright
Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed accuses retailer Topman of plagiarism
For the moment, the artist and his team are not pushing for compensation
NewsLaw
Orlan loses plagiarism case against Lady Gaga
In the first Paris court ruling, French “carnal artist” has been ordered to pay Lady Gaga and her record label €20,000
NewsLaw
Legal battle between graffiti artist and fashion label back on
Settlement collapses as discussions between Joseph Tierney, Moschino and creative director Jeremy Scott break down
NewsLaw
Graffiti artist to settle legal case against Moschino
Joseph Tierney had accused Italian fashion house and its creative director of using his work in clothing designs, including a dress worn by Katy Perry to Met gala
NewsLaw
Wikimedia Sweden found guilty of violating copyright with database of images of public art
Decision by Supreme Court could have implications for other jurisdictions, legal experts say
NewsLaw
Richard Prince and Gagosian move to dismiss photographer's copyright lawsuit
Citing an earlier case they won, the artist and his dealer argue Rastafarian Instagram screenprints are transformative
NewsLaw
LA photographer takes on Richard Prince in new lawsuit
Donald Graham might have a stronger case than previous attempts against the appropriation artist
NewsArt market
Double vision: the grey area of ar tistic appropriation
US copyright law is no longer fit for purpose as courts are forced to make artistic judgements in “fair use” cases
NewsLaw
Made in China? Not originally
Two recent plagiarism cases throw light on the country's lax stance on copying
NewsLaw
Brooklyn street artist sues over Katy Perry’s graffitied Met gala gown
Joseph Tierney says the Italian designer Moschino has used his work without permission in a line of clothing famously worn by the pop singer
News
Danish artist chronicles fight with Louis Vuitton
News
Artists can snoop on their neighbours, court rules
ArchiveCopyright
The verdict that flies in the face of art history: Luc Tuymans guilty of copyright infringement
A Belgian court recently found Tuymans guilty, a ruling that ignores appropriation’s vital role in art over the centuries and has worrying implications for the future
ArchiveArt market
Collection agency head warns over resale rights
The Artists’ Collecting Society says that the “honeymoon” grace period on accurate reporting of sales is coming to an end
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Ruling in Germany’s supreme court on the rights to images of performance art favours museum
Beuys show can go on
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Beuys widow wins in court over contested performance piece pictures
Museum Schloss Moyland lose out again in appeals court
ArchiveDecember 2011
US Supreme Court to consider copyright extension for foreign artists
Artists argue that law could adversely affect works involving appropriation
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Beuys returns to Schloss Moyland after refurbishment
Some works will not be on display, lest the museum incur a €250,000 copyright fine
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
Spanish royal seal of approval for Dalí’s Florida home
Meanwhile in Europe, the artist’s foundation battles “pseudo museums” to protect his brand
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Artist’s copyright versus curator’s freedom of expression: The wider legal significance of the Beuys case
The estate of Joseph Beuys has brought the Museum Schloss Moyland to court over photographs of Beuys' performance art
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Museum Schloss Moyland banned from displaying images of Beuys performance
German court rules museum breached artist’s copyright by displaying photographs of 1964 happening
ArchiveFrieze
The work of art in the age of cut and paste
Can the law keep up with the speed of digital appropriation, reproduction and distribution? And should it even try?
ArchivePhotographs
Stopping the passage of time: Colour photography conservation
A new technique aims to prevent colour prints from fading—but is it legal?
ArchiveJoseph Beuys
Copyright dispute over Joseph Beuys show in Germany
The Moyland Castle Museum closed the exhibition but plans to appeal
ArchiveGagosian Gallery
Prince and Gagosian fight back over copyright
Response to lawsuit by French photographer claims images not “strikingly original”
ArchiveCopyright
National Gallery and British Museum follow V&A’s lead
Leading organisations to abolish reproduction charges for scholarly publications
ArchiveHenry Moore
Henry Moore Foundation vetoes plan to build replica of The Arch
An Italian-American collector had offered $1 million for the project
ArchiveArtist interview
The art of allusion: Interview with Damian Loeb
Damian Loeb’s work relies on the viewer’s recognition of the visual sources that he quotes liberally
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
The battle over copyright: Even in death, Dalí spreads chaos
Millions of dollars from reproduction rights, hundreds of thousands of fakes and the authority to authenticate works are at stake. The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, set up to care for his work, claims that Demart, which administers his intellectual property rights, is failing to do its job
ArchiveIntellectual property
WIPO treatises take the Berne copyright convention into the digital age
Is new copyright law needed for a new age?
ArchiveLaw
"Publication right" introduced into UK law
Museums and collectors should hasten to protect their rights in this field
ArchiveCensorship
Young artist subject of censorship by Cadbury's
Sweet censorship in Sheffield
ArchiveInterviews
Interview with Mark Stephens on censorship: a lawyer’s view
The co-founder of Stephens Innocent law firm discusses the limits of art
ArchiveCopyright
Copyright and censorship in Chapmanworld: how far can they go?
Despite the dilemmas posed by their work, Jake and Dinos Chapman's first major exhibition in a public gallery is opening in London
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
Descharnes wins back Dali rights from Spanish State
Dali's former secretary has been successful in his appeal
ArchiveEuropean Union
Tighter copyright legislation for EU nations?
Even the most hidebound museum or public institution has now woken up to new technologies
ArchiveSalvador Dalí
Divorce in casa Dalí as Gala-Dalí Foundation and Spain seize control
State and Foundation cancel their contract with Descharnes, the artist’s former secretary and administrator of copyright