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They’re “Gonna Work it Out, Bye Bye”—The Velvet Underground and Warhol Foundation Settle Banana Trademark Case

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on May 30, 2013 at 8:39 AM

The Velvet Underground and the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts have settled their lawsuit over the right to control iconic “banana” image from the cover of the 1967 legendary The Velvet Underground and Nico album. An earlier September 7, 2012 ruling for the Warhol Foundation finding that that the Velvet Underground had agreed not to sue on any copyright theories left unanswered questions of whether the band had claim to a superseding trademark in the image that would allow it, and not the Warhol Foundation, to control the image’s reproduction. The dispute is now over, and those questions will not be judicially resolved.

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Topics: The Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Copyright, The Velvet Underground and Nico, the Velvet Underground

Velvet Underground’s Copyright Claim Against Warhol Foundation is Dismissed, Trademark Case Goes On

Posted by Nicholas O'Donnell on September 12, 2012 at 11:36 AM

The U.S. District Court in Manhattan has dismissed the copyright claim filed by the Velvet Underground against the Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts over the iconic “banana” image from the cover of the legendary The Velvet Underground and Nico album. Without reaching the merits of the claim, the court ruled that the Velvet Underground had agreed previously not to sue on any copyright theories. Reporting of the decision has been spotty at best, however, ranging from declaring a “win” for the Foundation, to suggestions that the copyright question was decided. In fact, the Court did not reach the copyright issue, and the Velvet Underground still has other trademark-based claims that remain very much alive and unaffected by the decision.

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Topics: Copyright, The Velvet Underground and Nico, the Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol

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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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