The Art Law Report Providing timely updates and commentary on legal issues in the museum and visual arts communities

Category Archives: Copyright

Subscribe to Copyright RSS Feed

Golan v. Holder—Foreign Works in Public Domain Back Under Copyright

Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property

The Art and Museum Law Group issued today a client advisory on the implications of Golan v. Holder.  The U.S. Supreme Court upheld in Golan v. Holder the constitutionality of a U.S. statute (§ 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual… Continue Reading

Cariou Files Appeals Brief—Is this Case Less Transformative Than It Seemed?

Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property, Uncategorized

Patrick Cariou has filed his much-anticipated responsive brief in the Richard Prince/Gagosian Gallery copyright infringement appeal.  Cariou’s brief makes its stand on the question of transformative use.  The degree to which a derivative work is transformative of a protected work is, of course, a central element of a fair use analysis about which Prince will have to persuade… Continue Reading

Public Domain Rights and Copyright Clash Over The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind

Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property

The 8th Circuit recently weighed in on the topic of public domain images and copyrighted characters.  As my colleagues Kimberly Herman, Michael Matzka and Laura Stacey explore in greater detail in an advisory about the decision, a number of merchandisers were using images from public domain posters and lobby cards from movies like The Wizard of Oz, Gone with… Continue Reading

Prince Copyright Appeal: Warhol Foundation Makes the Case to Reverse Infringement Finding

Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property

After several months of inactivity, the first brief is available in the Richard Prince appeal of the judgment against him and the Gagosian Gallery earlier this year for infringing on the works of Patrick Cariou.  Prince’s arguments of “fair use” of Cariou’s photographs failed to persuade the District Court and the infringing works were ordered… Continue Reading

Richard Prince Copyright Appeal Survives Cariou Motion to Dismiss

Posted in Copyright, Intellectual Property

The Richard Prince copyright case is in the news again, though probably more than it deserves.  Patrick Cariou, whose photographs Prince was found this spring to have infringed, moved to dismiss Prince’s appeal arguing that the injunction concerning the impoundment and destruction of the existing works (Prince was ordered to deliver them for destruction) was… Continue Reading