Jesse James
One of the most compelling and intriguing artists on the planet, Banksy, is back. The artist has gained international attention partly due to his anonymity. Well, today, the word comes down that the artist might soon have to show his face in order to claim ownership of his artwork. According to The Telegraph, The European Union, Intellectual Property Office has stripped the artist of trademark rights to two of his paintings.
The panel found that his trademark filings were made in “bad faith” and that his “identity cannot be legally determined.” This means he cannot be protected under copyright laws. According to the report, these works include Girl With Umbrella and Radar Rat. The UK greeting company Full Color Black recently persuaded the EU office to cancel Banksy’s trademarks. As of now, the artist has reportedly lost the rights to four of his artworks, including Flower Thrower and Laugh Now.
Banksy’s representatives, Pest Control Office Ltd, released a statement on their website. It reads: “You are welcome to use Banksy’s images for non-commercial, personal amusement. Print them out in a color that matches your curtains, make a card for your gran, submit them as your own homework, whatever.” It goes on to say, “But neither Banksy or Pest Control license the artist’s images to third parties. Please do not use Banksy’s images for any commercial purpose, including launching a range of merchandise or tricking people into thinking something is made or endorsed by the artist when it isn’t. Saying ‘Banksy wrote copyright is for losers in his book’ doesn’t give you free rein to misrepresent the artist and commit fraud. We checked.”
Indeed interesting news from the art world. Well, keep you up to date on any new news on the subject. In the meantime, keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more art news coming very soon.
