With dismal and one-sided reporting, such as this little nugget of tears by Ezra Klein, it’s no surprise that Newsweek magazine is on the brink of extinction. Klein takes on the proposed Schumer bill which will extend copyright protection to fashion designs.

On Aug. 5, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced S.3728: the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act. He’s got 10 cosponsors—including three Republicans—and a big idea: to extend copyright protections to the fashion industry, where none currently exist. That’s right: none. I—well, not I, but someone who can sew—can copy Vera Wang’s (extremely expensive) dress and sell it to you right now (for much less), and Wang can’t do a thing about it.

Why the hell does it matter that three Republicans are for this bill? Setting that absurdity aside for a second and one notices a rehashing of an extremely tired argument:

Too often, copyrights are used not to protect consumers by making sure they have access to new products, but to protect the profits of producers.

Yes, copyright only helps strengthen large corporations and line the pockets of their shareholders. Blah, blah, blah. What about unknown or small-business fashion designers? Klein argues that they won’t have the monetary power to pursue litigation, but in fact, this is radically changing, and not just for fashion designers. Visual artists, musicians, and filmmakers–particularly those in the New York City area–have discovered that pro bono attorneys can certainly help in this regard. Perhaps pro bono attorneys will be there for these fashion designers as well. Make up  your own mind after reading Klein’s article here.

Get ready to rumble. The thrilla in Gothamilla. USC vs. Texas. Argentina vs. Brasil. Yankees vs. Dodgers. Manchester United vs. Barcelona.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said Monday that the selection of eight jurors for the Shepard Fairey vs. Associated Press three-week trial will start March 21 in New York.

For those needing citations, New York Post on it here; Seattle Times on it here. Don’t get too excited. Word on the street has it that settlement looms.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that for their fall benefit this year, NURTUREart is honoring yours truly and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. I am extremely touched–if not surprised–at this notification.

NURTUREart will be holding their benefit at the ZieherSmith gallery in Chelsea on October 12, at 7pm. If you’re an artist, you may also submit an artwork for consideration for their exhibition and sale (Deadline is Sept. 3, 2010). This year’s exhibition curators are Dan Cameron, Ceci Moss, Jane Panetta, and Krista Saunders.  I really hope

Here’s the vital info:

Ticket Prices:

• $200.00 VIP Tickets Purchased Before October 1st: Includes early admission to the VIP Benefit for two and one work of art
• $250.00 VIP Tickets Purchased After October 1st: Includes all of the above
• $75.00 General Admission Tickets: Includes entrance to the Benefit after the VIP preview

Benefit Details (as of August 10th):

• Date and Location: Tuesday, October 12th at ZieherSmith gallery
• Honoring: Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
• Benefit Artist Submission curated by: Dan Cameron (Prospect New Orleans), Ceci Moss (Rhizome.org), Jane Panetta (MoMA), and 2009-2010 NURTUREart curatorial alum, Krista Saunders.

For more information please view NURTUREart’s website here. Hope to see you there!

New Yorker, Jordan Seiler, has taken to making art and contesting property rights not in Gotham City, but rather in Toronto. Seiler, the founder of the Public Ad Campaign, has an initiative committed to reclaiming public space from what the campaign contends are illegal advertisers, and filling it with guerilla art. Seiler’s main enemy is Canadian billboard giant Pattison Outdoor.  “Public space should be a place for public communication,” said the 30-year-old Seiler. “I feel like I have a right to react against (advertisements) when, in particular, they’re done illegally.” Via The Star.

The WSJ’s Daniel Grant writes about sellers of art becoming increasingly suspicious of art buyers and gives some advice on how to avoid becoming a sucker.

So how do you avoid becoming a sucker? Gaining expertise in a hurry may not be possible, but there are ways to obtain enough information to proceed cautiously. There are, for instance, online auction-results sites that buyers and sellers use regularly—such as ArtNet.com, AskArt.com and Artprice.com—and they may offer a sense of how comparable works of art have done at public sales. (Art dealers and gallery owners tend to keep their own price and sales information confidential.)

A buyer or seller is always free to hire a professional art appraiser, many of whom are members of the Appraisers Association of America, the International Society of Appraisers or the American Society of Appraisers.

A painting by Vincent van Gogh, Vase with Flowers, valued at over $49 million has been stolen from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Egypt. Via The Telegraph.

UPDATE: Aug. 21, 2010 8:58pm EST

Egypt’s cultural minister said the stolen Vincent van Gogh painting has been recovered by police at Cairo airport. Farouk Hosni says airport security confiscated the painting from two Italians Saturday evening.

UPDATE: Aug. 22, 2010 2:14pm EST

Seems like the painting is still missing, with the real culprit being the lack of security at the museum. According to Earth Times, only seven of the museum’s 47 surveillance cameras are working, while none of the alarms were functioning. Hours after the painting was reported missing Saturday, Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni said it had been recovered by police who stopped an Italian couple at Cairo airport, moments before they were due to leave the country. But Hosni later retracted his statement, saying the information was “inaccurate”. Update here.

It’s a rare occasion when we get to write heroin and Yale University in the same sentence.

This past May, Bruno Nestir, a heroin addict, was asked to hide some paintings stolen from Yale University. In exchange for his storage services, Nestir accepted heroin instead of money. According to the Boston Globe, Nestir “pleaded guilty to a larceny charge after police found the stolen paintings in his New Haven home during a 2009 raid.” Nestir has been sentenced to three years in prison.