Sculptor Wins Copyright Lawsuit in Las Vegas

A Las Vegas federal court recently awarded artist Steven Liguori over $2 million for violations of copyrights and a licensing agreement.  In the 1990s, Liguori created two large scale sculptures for Bert Hansen, the owner of the High Scaler Café and Hoover Dam Snacketeria, including a bronze piece depicting a worker on the Hoover Dam and another which serves as a monument to the Café. The judgment stems from a 2011 suit filed by Liguori against Hansen for breach of a licensing agreement for products based on the artworks and failure to pay royalty fees, the majority of compensation for the works. According to the suit, Hansen agreed to pay a 17% royalty on all licensed products for the right to sell souvenirs based on Liguori’s sculptures, but used likenesses of the pieces in ways which far exceeded the terms of their agreement and refused to fulfill the royalty obligation.

More via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.