Art law
Does the punishment fit the crime? Art fraudsters face erratic sentencing
Recent high-profile cases, such as those of Daniel Elie Bouaziz and Angela Gulbenkian, demonstrate that lengths of sentences vary widely, with little consistency in judges’ reasoning
Poet and translator to sue British Museum for copyright and moral rights infringement
Vancouver-based Yilin Wang has raised more than £15,000 via Crowd Justice to begin legal proceedings
The jury is out on resale clauses, but there are other options
In-demand artists and their galleries are exploring creative legal solutions alongside measures improving resale restrictions' likelihood of enforceability
Florida judge squashes copyright infringement lawsuit over Maurizio Cattelan’s banana
The judge dismissed a suit brought by artist Joe Morford claiming he had made the original taped-banana work in 2001
Ashmolean Museum in bitter, 20-year dispute over Augustus John works
Heirs claim they were loaned and want them back; the museum says decision not yet made
Museum lawyers weigh in on diversity initiatives, joint acquisitions and more at industry conference
The annual gathering organised by the American Law Institute and co-sponsored by the Smithsonian took place recently in Philadelphia
New York's Spring art bonanza: the shows, the sales, the fairs
Plus, the Richard Prince copyright case and Sarah Sze in London
US Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol Foundation in closely watched copyright lawsuit
The case, which pitted the Andy Warhol Foundation against photographer Lynn Goldsmith, may have major repercussions for artists who build upon others’ work
Judge refuses to toss two copyright infringement lawsuits against Richard Prince
New York judge says the appropriation artist's New Portraits series does not achieve the level of transformation necessary to shield him from litigation
KAWS wins nearly $1m in damages in counterfeit lawsuit
Artist Brian Donnelly first filed the lawsuit against Dylan Joy An Leong Yi Zhi in 2021
New US copyright rules protect only AI art with ‘human authorship’
The US Copyright Office has eased its stance in new guidelines, and a decision on a comic book created using artificial intelligence
First-ever insider trading trial over NFTs set to begin in Manhattan court
A former OpenSea employee has been accused of insider trading; the outcome of the case may change the meaning of that phrase forever
Appeals court judges hear latest argument in Nazi-era Guelph Treasure restitution claim
Heirs of the dealers who sold the collection of medieval artefacts to the Prussian government claim their case can be heard in US court because the dealers were not German citizens at the time of the sale
Has New York's law aimed at identifying Nazi-looted art in museums worked?
Recent legislation requires institutions to label works they display that was stolen by the Nazis, but some are still unwilling to publish their provenance research
One-tonne statue of Olmec ‘Earth monster’ that was illegally taken to US will be returned to Mexico
Authorities in New York recently informed Mexican officials that the artefact was recovered, though when exactly it was stolen and brought to the United States is unclear
Mexican authorities condemn French auction of pre-Columbian artefacts
In all, 83 artefacts scheduled to be sold in Paris next week are protected under Mexican law, authorities say
Deal reached in dispute over Van Gogh painting held at Detroit Institute of Arts
While the parties have reached an agreement, the museum says it spent $100,000 on its defence and that the injunction against it sets a dangerous precedent
Judge throws out copyright lawsuit over artwork featuring Ruth Bader Ginsburg photograph
Atlanta artist Julie Torres was accused of using a photographer’s image in her own artwork without permission
Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi heads to court in case against Sotheby's
New York judge rules the auction house must face trial as part of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s art fraud lawsuit
Lawsuit over controversial Marilyn Monroe statue reinstated by appeals court panel
The 26ft-tall statue of Marilyn Monroe has been called sexist by community members in Palm Springs, where it has been on public display since 2021
Joan Mitchell Foundation sends cease-and-desist to Louis Vuitton over handbag ads
The late abstract artist’s foundation claims Louis Vuitton used Mitchell’s work in a campaign without permission
'New French restitution laws should benefit the market—and maybe force change in Britain too?'
As the Washington Principles turn 25, the complexities of restitution in a global art world have mushroomed—leaving lessons to be learned for institutions, governments and art market players
French court orders Christie's to restitute a Nazi-looted painting sold in London
As the panel was looted in Paris, the magistrates claimed jurisdiction of the French courts over the High Court in London
Antiquities dealer Ali Aboutaam given 18-month suspended sentence by Geneva court
Decision brings the six-year investigation into the provenance of 15,000 antiquities from Phoenix Ancient Art to an end, with only a handful found to lack proper documentation
Is the graphic designer who refuses to create websites for same-sex couples an artist?
US Supreme Court justices debate whether obliging a Colorado woman to create wedding websites for same-sex couples violates her free speech rights as an artist
In dispute over Van Gogh painting, Detroit Institute of Arts is ‘blameless’, judge says
A Brazilian collector had sought to bar the museum from returning the artwork after its blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition closes
Peter Doig awarded $2.5m in sanctions following legal saga over prison painting
The lawsuit centred on the authorship of a desert landscape painting signed “Pete Doige” and created by an inmate at a Canadian prison
Moscow-based architect, who built ‘Putin’s Palace’, refuses to return to Italy to face trial
Italian Lanfranco Cirillo—whose 150-strong art collection was seized last year—will be tried in absentia by an Italian court next month for tax and money laundering crimes
Recent UK High Court rulings raise questions over dealers’ duty of care towards clients
Two cases involving respected London dealers John Eskenazi and Simon Dickinson brought up issues of negligence and authenticity with differing results
'Will it end up on a yacht—or in a museum?' Art export licences should be reformed, suggests UK arts minister
The world is “much more connected than it was” but the criteria for issuing export bars have remained unchanged since 1952, Stephen Parkinson explains