The idea of moral rights continues to be a notable difference between European and American intellectual property rights with respect to visual arts. Last week’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in a case brought by artist Chuck Close and others addressing the California Resale Royalty Act (the CRRA) underscores those distinctions. In holding that the CRRA is mostly preempted by federal copyright law and thus can be applied to entitle artists to secondary royalties only for sales of art in a single calendar year—1977—the 9th Circuit affirmed the skepticism with which American law continues to regard anything other than classic copyright. Given the failure of efforts to pass national legislation to provide for resale royalties, this decision is probably the end of the line for the foreseeable future in the U.S. for droit de suite, the term of art used to describe the concept.
There is, for better or worse, clearly no political constituency for resale royalties in the U.S. As I told Law360, and as we’ve opined before about the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA), property rights are in many ways a quintessential American policy. We all reflected on the Declaration of Independence last week, and its proclamation of the primacy of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—which revised John Locke’s famous statement that governments are instituted to secure “life, liberty, and property.” Copyright is and always will be a limitation on absolute ownership, but Americans guard those limitations jealously. There is little sign that will soon change.
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Topics:
American Royalties Too Act,
Chuck Close,
Commerce Clause,
Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990,
Christie's,
Cal. Civ. Code § 986(a),
VARA,
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY),
Dormant Commerce Clause,
Preemption,
droit de suite,
California Resale Royalty Act,
U.S. Constitution,
Sotheby's,
eBay,
CRRA,
Declaration of Independence,
Copyright Act of 1976,
Morseburg v. Baylon,
John Locke,
Supremacy Clause,
1909 Copyright Act
Several weeks ago, the parties to the appeal over the constitutionality of the California Resale Royalty Act (CRRA) briefed the question about whether the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals should hear the case, rather than a three-judge panel that would otherwise be assigned to the case. The Ninth Circuit granted the petition yesterday, meaning the appeal will now go before the full court.
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Topics:
Legislation,
Foie Gras,
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,
Ass’n des Eleveurs de Canards et d’Oies du Quebec,
Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen,
Jerrold Nadler,
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,
Mary H. Murguia
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
