Tag: Artist’s resale rights

Art world to debate global treaty on artists’ royalties

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An international conference due to be held in Geneva on Friday (28 April) could pave the way for a global roll-out of the controversial Artist’s Resale Right (ARR).

Organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the conference will see policy makers, artists, collective management organisations, academics, gallerists and auction houses gather to debate the effectiveness of the ARR to increase artists’ incomes. Attendees will discuss the potential for a future multi-national treaty to level the playing field in the international art market. Currently, the ARR applies sporadically throughout the world. Continue reading →

Christie’s defeated in court battle over artist’s royalties

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In a landmark judgment, a French court held on 24 March that art sellers must pay artist’s resale rights.

The ruling from the Versailles Court of Appeal marked the culmination of an eight-year legal battle between Christie’s auction house and two French associations of antique dealers and galleries. The battle began when the Syndicat National des antiquaires (SNA) and the Comité des galeries d’art sued Christie’s for unfair competition and abuse of its position. Christie’s had insisted that buyers pay artist’s royalties for works sold during an Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Bergé sale in 2009.  Continue reading →