Glasgow’s Surreal Cease & Desists

It seems that in difficult financial times people not only protect their intellectual propety assets to their full extent, but also litigate to collect any monies lost due to illegal infringement.

57 years after being bought direct from the artist by Glasgow’s city fathers, [Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross] painting is at the centre of a legal investigation which may yet snare a death metal band from Alsace in France, ashtray manufacturers, and poster-makers in the US, Britain, Italy and Spain.

The [Glasgow City] council believes it has been losing tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid licensing fees and royalties a year from unauthorised copies of Christ of St John of the Cross, which was bought for £8,200 and now valued at more than £60m.

Lawyers acting for Glasgow city council have drawn up a hit-list of 50 companies, manufacturers and artists selling hand-painted copies, who are suspected of illegally copying it. Warnings have been issued to 25 firms and individuals across the world – some wrongly claiming to have the council’s permission to reuse the image – to “cease and desist” or face legal action.

Apparently, Dali’s sale of the painting included copyright ownership to the image. More from The Guardian here.

Tags: cease and desist, Copyright, dali, glasgow