RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
- Indonesian Theme Park Filled With Art Knockoffs Loses Copyright Suit By Artist’s Estate
A couple of years ago, we wrote about “Rabbit Town,” a “selfie tourism” theme park in Indonesia where visitors can take photographs set against fantastical backdrops. The park charges admission for access to the park, which features several attractions that essentially recreate famous art installations from around the world, including works by Yayoi Kusama and imitations of scenes from the Museum of Ice Cream. The Rabbit Town versions often have different titles and do not credit the original artist. Now, Rabbit Town is facing a court order to destroy one of its attractions, an installation called “Love Light,” which is strikingly similar to Urban Light, a work by the late artist Chris Burden. - Another Epilogue In the Long Saga Of A Looted Pissarro Painting
The long-running dispute over a Pissarro painting has come to a close—yet again—after years of legal wrangling in multiple forums, and after a complex settlement arrangement collapsed in spectacular fashion. As is sadly the case in many stories involving Nazi-era art litigation, there is no dispute that the artwork at issue here was outright looted by Nazi forces in Nazi-occupied France, yet the artwork will not return to the family from whom it was wrested. - New INTERPOL App Puts A Due Diligence Tool In the Hands of Art Buyers
Last week, the International Criminal Police Organization (better known as INTERPOL), an international organization that facilitates cooperation by law enforcement organizations around the globe, announced a new project that may be of interest to art collectors, dealers, and anyone involved in high-end art transactions. INTERPOL has released a mobile application that allows a user to, among other things, quickly and conveniently determine whether a work of art appears in INTERPOL’s database of stolen artworks. The app, called ID-Art, is free and available in several languages, and on Android or iOS mobile devices. - Grossman LLP Expands Practice with Addition of Seasoned Litigator
Samantha A. Daniels joined the firm from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where she was part of a renowned appellate practice. She has extensive experience with high-profile, high-stakes cases, including lawsuits involving questions of first impression relating to the employment status of gig workers for Uber and Postmates, as well as complex class actions, where she helped secure decisive victories for Apple, and securities litigation against Argentina, resulting in a $2.1 billion judgment for NML shareholders. Samantha received her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where she published her student comment on consumer protection. And she earned a double bachelor’s degree in history and political science, magna cum laude, from Cornell University.