Law
Banksy loses trademark battle over his famous Flower Thrower image
The street artist opened a pop-up shop in Croydon last year in a bid to protect his image rights, but was found to have “acted in bad faith”
UK High Court ruling could be 'welcome news' for arts organisations denied Covid-19 insurance payout
Judgment this week ruled in favour of the Financial Conduct Authority's test case seeking clarification of policies as many insurers refuse to pay out during the pandemic
Bathurst family sues art lender over Gainsborough painting offered as collateral by disgraced dealer
The noble family, whose ancestors are depicted in the work, says Art Finance Partners should have known Timothy Sammons did not legally own the painting
US appeals court rules—with regret—that Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation can keep Nazi-looted Pissarro
Judges noted the Spanish government, which signed the Washington Principles in 1998, “can preen as moralistic in its declarations”, yet not be bound by them
Senate investigation finds art market secrecy allowed Russian billionaire brothers, friends of Putin, to evade government sanctions
A detailed report calls the trade “the largest, legal unregulated industry in the United States” and recommends increased transparency and government oversight
California may grant repatriation rights to unrecognised Native American tribes
A new state bill expands federal rights for Indigenous groups to reclaim human remains, burial objects and other sacred artefacts from institutions
California man sentenced to five years in prison for $6m international art fraud scheme
Philip Righter pleaded guilty to selling works fraudulently attributed to Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, among others
International Criminal Court trial begins of Jihadist police chief accused of destroying Timbuktu’s cultural heritage
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud is on trial for war crimes in Mali
New York grand jury indicts Inigo Philbrick on federal fraud charges
The dealer was arrested by the FBI on the Pacific island Vanuatu last month and transferred into federal custody
BBC investigation uncovers legal dispute over blockbuster Tutankhamun exhibition
Lawyer says Egypt breached heritage protection laws by contracting a private company to tour the artefacts
Monaco court dismisses criminal case against Yves Bouvier
The Swiss art dealer had been accused of fraud and money laundering by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev—a related case in Geneva remains active
Heirs battle estate over $30m Monet painting from Emden collection sold during Nazi era
Le Palais Ducal is at the centre of an ownership dispute that has kept the work from coming to auction
US Supreme Court agrees to hear Berlin museums' appeal in lawsuit over restitution of medieval treasures to Jewish heirs
Panel will consider museums' argument that a trial over rightful ownership of the Guelph Treasure cannot be heard in American courts
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
‘Broken’ heritage laws: Australia launches investigation after 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock art is obliterated
Parliamentary enquiry will examine how mining giant Rio Tinto obtained legal right to destroy ancient Juukan Gorge site
Paris dealer who sold golden sarcophagus to New York’s Metropolitan Museum charged with fraud and money laundering
The work was returned to Egypt last year after officials were shown evidence it might have been looted during the Arab Spring in 2011
Russian theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov found guilty of fraud and ordered to pay $1.85m in damages to culture ministry
Accused of embezzling funds while staging a contemporary arts festival, Serebrennikov faced six years in prison but was handed a suspended sentence
Video, virtual hearings and 'e-bundles': how remote justice is being served in art cases during the pandemic
A focus on long-term planning and contract law are among the chief lockdown concerns
'I have a 1% chance of being acquitted': Russian activist faces six years in prison for posting vagina drawings online
Police say the body-positive images, accompanied by captions like ‘Real women have body fat and it’s normal,’ violate pornography laws
Labour organising committee assails Philadelphia museum’s use of a ‘union avoidance’ law firm
Employees call on the museum to take a position of neutrality in any union vote
Sotheby’s cannot sue Greece over bronze horse, US court rules
The country's government had questioned the provenance of the artefact, forcing it to be pulled from a 2018 sale
Hong Kong artists abroad launch pro-democracy platform as China's security law looms
Online project documents one year of anti-government protests in the territory and aims to rally support from international art community
Mary Boone released from prison early after the facility sees spike in coronavirus cases
Jailed for tax fraud, the incarcerated Manhattan dealer has been moved to a re-entry facility just under half way through her 30-month sentence
Mining company Rio Tinto apologises for destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site
Blasting of two ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge was authorised in 2013 by Western Australia state government
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
Steve Bannon wins first major battle for medieval monastery
Italy retaliates with criminal prosecution of right-wing religious group funded by US President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist
Convicted art fraudster Ezra Chowaiki subject of yet more legal drama
New racketeering suit against the disgraced New York art dealer, brought by a Spanish collector regarding paintings by Picasso and Léger, gets off to a mixed start
Gold tycoon and art collector James Stunt charged with money laundering and forgery
The former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone denies any criminality and says he will contest all charges
Can’t pay your rent? Here’s what you can do if you're a UK gallery
Coronavirus has left many art businesses struggling to pay their bills, but there are resources available to help
New York court rules Call of Duty video game as art
The gaming publisher Activision is protected under the First Amendment to use the Humvee vehicle brand “if realism is an artistic goal"