By Alanna Pitre Emerging into public consciousness in the late 1960s, conceptual art was developed by artists as a means of anti-institutional expression.[1] Rather than adhering to the traditional art-making process, where craftsmanship, aesthetics, and high-end materials come together to create a tangible– often commercialized– product like a sculpture or a painting, conceptual artists give […] The post Can a Duct-taped Banana be a Copyrightable Work of Art? first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Eleanor Gartstein A number of key frameworks are often cited as foundational to the field of international cultural heritage law. The 1954 Hague Convention focuses on cultural property protection during times of armed conflict, the 1970 UNESCO Convention tackles the issue via import-export controls, and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention answers to private claimants and […] The post Revisiting the 2017 Nicosia Convention first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Allie Wiley As of the Summer of 2024, Brian L. Frye is suing the Securities and Exchange Commission along with Jonathan Mann to confront the agency’s ability to regulate non-fungible tokens head on. The SEC has taken charge of regulating art that is sold as NFTs despite being created to protect investors.[1] The issue […] The post How Two Artists are Challenging the SEC’s Role in Shaping the NFT Art Market first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Atreya Mathur Summarized from the Testimony of Register Shira Perlmutter for the Oversight Hearing on November 13, 2024 (before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property) which can be heard HERE. On November 13, 2024, Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO), testified before […] The post The U.S. Copyright Office: Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Challenges first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Emily G. Finch and Center for Art Law As an intern with the Center for Art Law, in September 2024, I was thrilled to attend not one but two events in Italy. First I participated in the Art & Law Executive Course in Florence and later I traveled to Milan for the International Conference: […] The post WYWH: 2024 Art & Law Executive Course & International Conference on Preventing Art Crimes Through Regulation and Self-Regulation first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

Interview conducted by Morgan Austrich About Jason Felch Jason Felch is a former investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He now runs a research firm that performs open source investigations, digging into complex issues involving transnational and organized crime for private clients including law firms, businesses, investors and NGOs. He is the author of […] The post Interview with Jason Felch, Co-Author of “Chasing Aphrodite” and Founder of the Museum of Looted Antiquities first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Lydia Filipsson The Vitruvian Man, created by Leonardo da Vinci around 1490, is a renowned drawing that illustrates the ideal human proportions, depicting a nude male figure inscribed within a circle and a square, symbolizing the connection between the divine and the earthly. Currently housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia di Venezia in Italy, it […] The post Case Review: Ravensburger v. Italian Ministry of Culture (LG Stuttgart, Judgment of 14.03.2024 – 17 O 247/22) first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Shruti Vadada Introduction In an era where technology has blurred the lines between professional and amateur filmmaking, the digital age has redefined how stories are told and who gets to tell them. Platforms like Kickstarter and YouTube have democratized the filmmaking industry, allowing anyone with a camera and an idea to enter the spotlight. […] The post Protecting Filmmakers’ Rights in the Digital Age first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Jessica Mellen Followers of art news are likely well aware of the headlining FBI raid of the Heroes and Monsters exhibit by the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). In early 2022, the exhibition claimed to display twenty-five newly discovered and never before exhibited paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The former Executive of Operations and presiding […] The post The ‘Heroes and Monsters’ exhibition: Conspiracy in Cultural Institutions? first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more

By Atreya Mathur Imagine walking through a museum and coming face to face with a carved statue of a deity, its ancient aura exuding centuries of history and cultural significance. Now, consider that this artifact, which rightfully belongs in a temple or local museum in its country of origin, was stolen, smuggled across borders, and […] The post Reclaiming the Past: An Overview of the U.S-India Cultural Property Agreement first appeared on Center for Art Law ..read more