Panic at the clothing brand Guess after a message from Banksy on Instagram. The artist encouraged his followers to commit shoplifting. The reason? According to Banksy, the American fashion brand had used his work on T-shirts and jackets without permission. What about artists’ rights? And when can others use their work?
“Attentie winkeldieven. Ga alsjeblieft naar Guess in Regent Street (in Londen, red.). Daar hebben ze zich mijn kunst toegeëigend, zonder mijn toestemming. Waarom zouden jullie niet hetzelfde doen met hun kleding?” Dat schreef Banksy eerder deze maand in een Instagram-bericht nadat Guess een kledingcollectie had bedrukt met zijn werk.
De oproep van de Britse graffitikunstenaar leidde tot een tijdelijke sluiting en strengere beveiliging van de winkel. Volgens het creatieve hoofd van Guess, Paul Marciano, was het gebruik van de kunst op de kleding “een manier om dankbaarheid te uiten aan de artiest.”
Guess werkte voor de collectie samen met het bedrijf Brandalised, dat naar verluidt een licentie heeft om Banksy’s kunstwerken voor commerciële doeleinden te gebruiken. Een licentie is de toestemming van de kunstenaar om het werk of een deel daarvan te gebruiken.
Het kledingmerk vindt dat het de rechten op de kunst van Banksy op legale wijze heeft verworven. Maar de website Pest Control, een organisatie van de kunstenaar, vertelt een ander verhaal: “U bent van harte welkom de afbeeldingen van Banksy te gebruiken voor niet-commerciële doeleinden. Maar noch Banksy, noch Pest Control geeft licenties voor de afbeeldingen van de artiest aan derden. Gebruik de afbeeldingen van Banksy niet voor commerciële doeleinden.”
Guess deed dat wel; de kledingstukken werden verkocht voor een bedrag tussen de 40 en 270 euro.
Artists have exclusive copyright
Visual artists, writers, illustrators, photographers and other creators have copyright. This right allows them to make money by publishing and reproducing their own work (copying, translating, filming or giving the work another form). As long as no agreements are made about this, only the maker has that right.
“Artists do not have to register the copyright of their work. Copyright is created by creating an original (art) work that has its own character. The right therefore follows automatically,” says Els Doornhein, lawyer at De Vos & Partners lawyers. She specializes in intellectual property law and has artists among her clients.
Creators can let someone else use their work – by licensing it – or transfer their copyright entirely. “As a lawyer, I regularly draft licensing agreements for artists and other creators,” says Doornhein. “These agreements state the conditions attached to the permission. For example, an artist can agree with a company like HEMA that it can only use the art for a one-off collection.”
No permission is required in case of legal restriction
When someone publishes or reproduces someone else’s work without permission, this constitutes copyright infringement.
“Unless there is a legal restriction,” says Doornhein. “This is the case, for example, when art academy students draw a painting as part of their education. Or when an artist is quoted in a book, with accompanying images of the artwork.” Such a legal restriction does not require permission from the manufacturer. However, other requirements apply, such as an attribution by the manufacturer.
Nevertheless, everywhere we come across shirts, socks, wallpaper and posters with it Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci or Girl with a pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer. This is because copyright expires seventy years after the creator’s death. After that, it falls into the public domain and anyone can use it without permission.
The Case of Guess is not unique
The case of Guess is not unique: many more garments and objects can be found online where Banksy’s art can be seen. Furthermore, the artist has filed several lawsuits against companies.
“Although it does not matter for the origin of copyright that a creator wishes to remain anonymous, it makes it more difficult to exercise his right,” said Hanneke Holthuis, head of legal affairs at copyright organization Pictoright. “A judge usually wants to know who the creator is before they can enforce an injunction.”
The secrecy surrounding Banksy’s identity may also play a role in the matter with Guess. Worldwide, only a handful of people know who is behind the artworks. “Guess may assume that it has made deals with Banksy, when it has not,” Holthuis said. And as long as the identity of the artist is unknown, anyone can say: I am Banksy.