The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of last year’s Ninth Circuit decision striking down part of the California Resale Royalty Act. The law provided royalties to artists on sales after the work leaves the artists’ ownership, on the grounds that artists often fail to enjoy the benefit of an increase in value in their works. Such royalties are more common in Europe, but they are controversial there, too. Opponents argue that it is a deterrent to art trade, and in any event while there is a patchwork of laws, encourages sellers to forum shop to avoid the royalties.
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Topics:
Legislation,
Resale Royalties,
Copyright
In a decision long awaited by artists and auction houses in particular, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the California Resale Royalty Act of 1976 (CRA)—America’s only droit de suite—is unconstitutional top regulate any sales of art outside of California. The court concluded, however, that that portion of the law is severable from the rest, and let the regulation of in-California sales stand for further interpretation by a subsidiary panel of the appeals court. There are two likely aftereffects of this decision. Galleries and auction houses can put any concerns to rest about sales in New York in particular, but one has to wonder about the effect it will have on putting items for sale in California, which will effectively have a premium not present in other states. It also raises the possibility that the resulting piecemeal framework will motivate movement on the pending federal bill (the American Royalties Too (ART) Act of 2015) concerning resale royalties. Could this be the development that prompts movement in Congress?
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Topics:
Legislation,
Resale Royalties,
Chuck Close,
Supreme Court,
Christie's,
Cal. Civ. Code § 986(a),
Dormant Commerce Clause,
droit de suite,
sales tax,
Cal. Redev. Ass’n v. Matosantos,
use tax,
American Royalties Too (ART) Act of 2015,
California Resale Royalty Act,
Copyright,
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,
Sotheby's,
eBay
Twice in the last four years, a bill has been filed to adopt what is known as droit de suite, or resale royalty, in which an artist would be entitled under certain circumstances to a royalty on sales after the initial one. The most common justifications for these bills relate to fairness and uniformity. As to the first, many artists’ works do not become valuable until later in their careers, long after the works had been sold first. These artists, the argument goes, should share in the benefit of their increased regard. The uniformity argument has to do with droit de suite in other countries, though that is hardly a clear picture and many residents of those countries object to what they say is the effect on their local markets.
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Topics:
Equity for Visual Artists Act of 2011,
Resale Royalties,
Ed Markey,
American Royalties Too Act,
Chuck Close,
Resale Royalty,
Jerrold Nadler,
Christie's,
Tammy Baldwin,
California Resale Royalties Act,
Copyright,
United States Copyright Office,
Sotheby's,
eBay,
Art Law Report
After word got around that the American Royalties Too Act of 2014 had expired, (covered by Whitney Kimball at ArtFCity, Coline Milliard at ArtNet here, and Jillian Steinhauer at Hyperallergic here), the natural question of course remains, “what’s next.” Steinhauser spoke to John Doty, director of Jerrold Nadler’s office. Doty said, “Congressman Nadler does plan to reintroduce the bill this Congress. An exact date and exact bill language have not yet been decided.
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Topics:
Resale Royalty Rights,
Resale Royalties,
Coline Milliard,
Hyperallergic,
Moral Rights,
Kibum Kim,
Whitney Kimball,
art,
ArtFCity,
Jerrold Nadler,
Jillian Steinhauer,
The Contract,
Copyright,
Seth Sieglaub,
John Doty,
ArtNet,
Robert Projanksy,
American Royalties Too Act of 2014,
Artist’s Reserved Rights Transfer and Sale Agreeme
A quirk of parliamentary procedure is that any bill in Congress exists only for so long as that particular Congress is in session. This week, the 114th Congress took its seats, meaning that any bill not passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and signed by the President, is a dead letter. This is the fate of many, many bills—indeed most. 
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Topics:
Legislation,
Resale Royalties,
Chuck Close,
Moral Rights,
Nazi-looted art,
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act,
28 U.S. § 1605,
Art Law Day,
114th Congress,
22 U.S.C. § 2459,
City of Amsterdam,
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY),
FSIA,
expropriation exception”,
droit de suite,
IFSA,
Foreign Sovereign Immunities,
Senate,
House of Representatives,
Immunity from Seizure Act,
President,
Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity
Art Law Day at the Appraisers Association of America’s annual conference is next Friday, November 7, 2014 at NYU's Kimmel Center. Sullivan & Worcester LLP will be sponsoring the event as a Friend of Art Law Day this year, about which we are very excited.
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Topics:
The Changing Laws for the Sale of Endangered Speci,
Monica Kreshik,
NYU SCPS,
International Director of Restitution,
The Frick Collection,
miGavel Auctions/Lark Mason Associates,
Resale Royalties,
Pollock-Krasner Foundation,
Betty Krulik Fine Art Limited,
American Royalties Too Act,
Michael McCullough,
Pearlstein & McCullough LLP,
authentication,
IRS/Tax Free Exchange,
Richard Levin,
New York University,
American Alliance of Museums,
Suzanne Goldstein Baker,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP,
Art Law Day,
Department of Environmental Conservation,
Ulf Biscof,
New Legislation for Authentication Experts,
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP,
Jerrold Nadler,
Christie's,
Appraisal,
Detroit Institute of Arts,
Amy Goldrich,
Betty Krulik,
Restitution,
Randi Schuster,
Events,
Christopher Marinello Art Recovery International L,
Cahill Partners LLP,
Elizabeth von Habsburg Winston Art Group,
Monica Dugot,
Copyright,
Appraisers Association of America,
Marianne Rosenberg,
Terry Shtob,
Antiquities,
Ford W. Bell,
Craig Hoover,
Bankruptcy and the Detroit Institute of Arts,
Lark Mason,
Kimmel Center,
Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch,
Detroit Bankruptcy,
Diane Wierbicki,
Investment Property Exchange Services,
Samuel Sachs II,
Biscof & Paetow Rechtsanwälte,
Withers Bergman LLP,
Judith Bresler,
Paul Rosenberg
Art Law Day at the Appraisers Association of America’s annual conference is now less than a month away. Held at the NYU Kimmel Center, this year’s event will be held on Friday November 7, 2014. Sullivan & Worcester LLP is excited to be a Friend of Art Law Day this year.
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Topics:
Legislation,
The Changing Laws for the Sale of Endangered Speci,
Monica Kreshik,
NYU SCPS,
International Director of Restitution,
The Frick Collection,
miGavel Auctions/Lark Mason Associates,
Resale Royalties,
Pollock-Krasner Foundation,
Betty Krulik Fine Art Limited,
American Royalties Too Act,
Michael McCullough,
Pearlstein & McCullough LLP,
authentication,
IRS/Tax Free Exchange,
Richard Levin,
New York University,
American Alliance of Museums,
Suzanne Goldstein Baker,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP,
Art Law Day,
Department of Environmental Conservation,
Ulf Biscof,
New Legislation for Authentication Experts,
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP,
Christie's,
Appraisal,
Detroit Institute of Arts,
Amy Goldrich,
Betty Krulik,
Restitution,
Randi Schuster,
Events,
Christopher Marinello Art Recovery International L,
Cahill Partners LLP,
Elizabeth von Habsburg Winston Art Group,
Monica Dugot,
Appraisers Association of America,
Marianne Rosenberg,
Terry Shtob,
Ford W. Bell,
Craig Hoover,
Bankruptcy and the Detroit Institute of Arts,
Lark Mason,
Kimmel Center,
Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch,
Detroit Bankruptcy,
Diane Wierbicki,
Investment Property Exchange Services,
Samuel Sachs II,
Biscof & Paetow Rechtsanwälte,
Withers Bergman LLP,
Judith Bresler,
Paul Rosenberg
The defendants in the case on appeal over the constitutionality of California’s Resale Royalty Act have just briefed the court’s question about whether the full court should rehear the case. Responding to an order that the parties explain whether the case conflicts with recent Ninth Circuit precedent, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and eBay all argued emphatically that no conflict justifies reinstating the law that a District Court struck down in 2012.
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Topics:
Legislation,
Foie Gras,
Resale Royalties,
538 U.S. 644,
N. Randy Smith,
729 F.3d 937,
Auction Houses,
California Health & Safety Code § 25982,
Chuck Close,
730 F.3d 1070,
Moral Rights,
Commerce Clause,
Affordable Care Act,
Innocence of Muslims,
Ass’n des Eleveurs de Canards et d’Oies du Quebec,
Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen,
Christie's,
Research & Mfrs. of Am. v. Walsh,
California Resale Royalties Act,
Ethanol,
Dormant Commerce Clause,
491 U.S. 324,
U.S. Constitution,
Copyright,
royalties,
Garcia,
Ninth Circuit,
Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17 §§ 95480–90,
Sotheby's,
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Corey,
Healy v. Beer Inst.,
Ferdinand F. Fernandez,
eBay,
Google,
Low Carbon Fuel Standard,
Mary H. Murguia
On February 26, 2014, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced the “American Royalties Too Act”—House Resolution 4103. HR 4103 was referred to the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet on March 20, 2014. There was also an “American Royalties Too Act” introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on the same day.
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Topics:
Legislation,
Resale Royalties,
Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO),
Maxine Waters (D-CA),
American Royalties Too Act,
Chuck Close,
Christopher Rauschenberg,
droite de suite,
Commerce Clause,
Julia Halperin,
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY),
The Art Newspaper,
U.S. Senate,
Judy Chu (D-CA),
HR4103,
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY),
Christie's,
Ed Pastor(D-AZ),
Huffington Post,
Intellectual Property and the Internet,
Eliot L. Engel([D-NY),
Robert Rauschenberg,
Mark Pocan (D-WI),
Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL),
James Moran (D-VA),
Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),
Copyright,
Sotheby's,
John Lewis (D-GA),
and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX),
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL),
House Subcommittee on Courts,
Donna M. Christensen,
eBay,
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Although there are no definitive signs yet of likely change, the question of secondary royalties for visual artists remains far from resolved. The most comprehensive effort to date, the California Resale Royalties Act was declared unconstitutional in 2012 by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in lawsuit brought by Chuck Close and others against Christie’s, eBay, and Sotheby’s. That decision is on appeal in the Ninth Circuit.
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Topics:
Equity for Visual Artists Act of 2011,
Resale Royalties,
American Royalties Too Act,
Chuck Close,
Resale Royalty,
Jerrold Nadler,
Christie's,
Tammy Baldwin,
California Resale Royalties Act,
Copyright,
United States Copyright Office,
Sotheby's,
eBay
