Pat Pratt, KMOV.com; Anheuser-Busch sued for copyright infringement of Montana artist’s fishing illustration
"A Montana wildlife artist is suing Anheuser-Busch for copyright infringement of one of his fishing illustrations.
Artist Jon Q. Wright filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where the company is headquartered. He has requested damages including profits made from the artwork, that illicit copies be impounded and further use be prohibited.
First Alert 4 has reached out to Anheuser-Busch requesting comment and is awaiting a response.
Wright states in the lawsuit he penned the image in 1999 and copyrighted it the following year. The image depicts a fishing scene with a fish in the foreground and a man in a boat in the background.
According to the lawsuit, Wright gave Anheuser-Busch a limited-term, non-exclusive license for specific works of art about 20 years ago, including the image at the center of the litigation filed Thursday. The license also included that several of the company’s affiliates could use the work.
The lawsuit filed Thursday alleges that the license has expired and Anheuser-Busch has altered the photo and continues to use it."
