Artist’s Rights Society Threatens Michigan Town

Anyone know Danish law? The Little Mermaid has brought a bit of legal conflict to a little town in Michigan.

According to City Manager George Bosanic, the city was notified by letter from the Artists Rights Society (The ARS represents more than 50,000 artists and their copyrights) in New York City, representing the estate of Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen, saying the statue is illegal and may have to be removed.

According to Michigan’s Daily News, Eriksen created the original “Little Mermaid” statue in 1913 as a tribute to Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Sitting at the harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark, the statue draws an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year.

The director for ARS said the managers of the estate of Eriksen want the statue to be removed since no permission was granted to create a replica, and that even if the statue may not be an exact replica of the original the pose and name are the same, showing it was at least attempting to replicate Denmark’s version.

Michigan’s Daily News has more.