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Anish Kapoor Sculpture Dispute Tests the Legal Utility of Terms Like Plagiarism and Appropriation

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on August 21, 2015 at 5:11 AM

A sculpture in China that is remarkably similar to Anish Kapoor’s famous Cloud Gate in Chicago is highlighting how the colloquial use of words like appropriation and plagiarism, while useful and descriptive to distinguishing the creative process, can often confuse the issue when it comes to sorting out the parties’ legal rights. While the opinion here is that Kapoor has a good case for infringement (Cloud Gate-gate?), it is not the idea of plagiarism that would support his claim.

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Topics: Donn Zaretsky, Xinjiang, Infringement, Pressure, SuicideGirls, Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Freddie Mercury, Rahm Emmanuel, Ma Jun, Chicago Sun Times, Ice Ice Baby, David Bowie, FSIA, Karamay, Copyright, Cloud Gate, Millennium Park, The Art Law Blog, Anish Kapoor, Plagiarism, Fair Use

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

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on January 31, 2012 at 12:19 PM

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 the Second Circuit to overturn the judgment below. In so doing, however, one starts to wonder if this case will be of less precedential value—less transformative, if you will—than it has seemed since the judgment last year.

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Topics: Richard Prince, Infringement, Second Circuit, Transformative Use, Canal Zone, Patrick Cariou, Yes Rasta, Appropriative Art, Copyright, Gagosian Gallery, intellectual property

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About the Blog


The Art Law Report provides timely updates and commentary on legal issues in the museum and visual arts communities. It is authored by Nicholas M. O'Donnell, partner in our Art & Museum Law Practice.

The material on this site is for general information only and is not legal advice. No liability is accepted for any loss or damage which may result from reliance on it. Always consult a qualified lawyer about a specific legal problem.

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