Timothy Aeppel via Wall Street Journal; In a Mermaid Statue, Danes Find Something Rotten in State of Michigan:
Small Town's Ode to Ethnic Culture Draws Call From 'the Art Police' Over Licensing:
"This town's statue of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid" is a symbol of its proud Danish heritage. Now some are saying she doesn't have permission to be in the country.
Nobody disputes the sculpture -- installed in 1994 as part of Greenville's annual Danish Festival -- was inspired by the famous one in Copenhagen.
The problem is that this ode to the old country allegedly infringes the copyright of Danish artist Edvard Eriksen. In May, just as preparations for this year's Danish-themed festivities were getting under way, the town got a letter from the Artists Rights Society -- a New York-based organization that enforces copyrights on behalf of artists, including Andy Warhol and Picasso. The letter said that the statue is an "unauthorized reproduction" and had to come down. If not, the town would have to pay a licensing fee."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124865622123982685.html
Showing posts with label Greenville Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenville Michigan. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Copyright Cops Go After Town For Creating Little Mermaid Statue; Tech Dirt, 7/31/09
Mike Masnick via Tech Dirt; Copyright Cops Go After Town For Creating Little Mermaid Statue:
"Dan sends in yet another story about copyright gone wrong. Apparently the small town of Greenville Michigan has a strong Danish heritage, and wanted to show that off with some artifact representing Denmark. It chose the iconic Little Mermaid statue, based on Hans Christian Andersen's story, and a similar iconic statue in Denmark. Apparently, however, the family of the artist who created the statue in Denmark is trying to clamp down and is demanding a lump sum payment or that the statue be taken down. The actual artist died in 1959... but thanks to recent extensions in copyright (yippee), copyright now lasts life plus seventy years.
Of course, I'm wondering if the statue even violates the copyright at all. While the town says it was inspired by the one in Denmark, the actual statue is different:
At about 30 inches high, it's half the size of the original and has a different face and other distinct features, including larger breasts. "We've gotten a lot of heat about that too," he says.
Considering that so much of the statue is different, is it even a copyright violation at all?"
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090731/0337175728.shtml
"Dan sends in yet another story about copyright gone wrong. Apparently the small town of Greenville Michigan has a strong Danish heritage, and wanted to show that off with some artifact representing Denmark. It chose the iconic Little Mermaid statue, based on Hans Christian Andersen's story, and a similar iconic statue in Denmark. Apparently, however, the family of the artist who created the statue in Denmark is trying to clamp down and is demanding a lump sum payment or that the statue be taken down. The actual artist died in 1959... but thanks to recent extensions in copyright (yippee), copyright now lasts life plus seventy years.
Of course, I'm wondering if the statue even violates the copyright at all. While the town says it was inspired by the one in Denmark, the actual statue is different:
At about 30 inches high, it's half the size of the original and has a different face and other distinct features, including larger breasts. "We've gotten a lot of heat about that too," he says.
Considering that so much of the statue is different, is it even a copyright violation at all?"
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090731/0337175728.shtml
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