"New New Era"

What's New in Art Law

• [Intellectual Property] Poses Remain Uncopyrightable, Following Lil Nas X Dispute

  Musician Lil Nas X was found not guilty of copyright infringement for photos he posted on his Instagram page. Artist Rodney Woodland had claimed that the set of photos contained “poses and artistic concepts” that closely resembled his own work. However, Appellate Judge Kenneth K. Lee ruled that any similarities amounted to common motifs rather than the substance of the works—such as lighting, staging, and props. Read the Hyperallergic report here, and the court decision here. [AS]

• [Art Law Firms] End of an Era at Amineddoleh & Associates LLC: Honoring One of the Premier Art Law Boutique Firms

  Leila Amineddoleh, who is widely recognized as one of the leading attorneys in art and cultural heritage law, recently merged her firm with the established Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP. As Amineddoleh herself writes, this transfer promises to further strengthen her contribution to the field by allowing her to leverage a larger firm’s resources to embrace the interdisciplinary required of art law. Read more here. [AS]

   

• [Indigenous Art] No, It’s Not the 17th Century: The Hudson Bay Company (and Its Collection) in Jeopardy

  In July, The Art Newspaper reported that the Hudson Bay Company– whose historic mercantile operations helped drive the colonization of North America– had filed for bankruptcy.  As part of the proceedings, thousands of cultural objects from the Company’s holdings are set to be auctioned, drawing strong opposition from Indigenous groups and academics. Given the company’s colonial history, the contents of the auction are likely to include sacred, ceremonial, and highly prized cultural objects. In the sale, these valuable objects would change hands and/or leave Canadian territory in a manner that would further alienate First Nations people from their cultural history. Read the Art Newspaper report here. [AS]

• [Copyright and AI] Disney and Universal File Copyright Suit Against Midjourney AI

  On June 11, entertainment giants Disney and Universal filed a federal lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, alleging both direct and secondary copyright infringement. The companies claim that the AI service is capable of producing unauthorized copies and high-quality derivatives of copyrighted characters, including Yoda, the Simpsons, the Hulk, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. Read more here. [JS]

• [Art Dealers; Art Crime]

  On June 6, London-based art dealer Oghenochuko Ojiri was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to eight offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. Ojiri sold several artworks to Nazem Ahmed, a Lebanese collector and dealer suspected of financing the terrorist organization Hizballah. Ahmed is sanctioned by both the UK and US governments. This case marks the first prosecution under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.  Read more here. [ADE]

• [Cultural Heritage] Museums in Israel and Iran Take Action to Protect Cultural Heritage Amid Ongoing Crisis

  On June 13, Iran’s Deputy Cultural Heritage Minister announced the closure of all museums, buildings, and cultural heritage sites, urging officials to follow emergency protocols. The following day, Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization confirmed that all prominent artefacts had been moved to secure storage. In Israel, galleries and museums have also closed indefinitely, with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art confirming it has relocated artworks to underground vaults. Read more here. [ADE]

   

• [Art Crime] Ringleader of Norval Morrisseau Forgery Operation Pleads Guilty

  Inspector Jason Rybak of the Thunder Bay Police Service uncovered three major forgery networks in Ontario producing counterfeit artworks attributed to Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau. A key development came when James White, a central figure in the operation, pleaded guilty to creating forged documents and possessing and trafficking forged artworks. While six additional fraud charges against him were dropped, the same eight charges remain pending against his alleged accomplices. Read more here. [ADE]

• [Art Market] Leading Art Market Figures Launch Elite Consultancy Firm

  Ed Dolman, Brett Gorvy, Patti Wong, and Phillip Hoffman have combined their decades of experience to launch New Perspectives Art Partners, a specialist art consultancy firm. Dolman’s son, Alex, has also joined the team. The group emphasized the international scope of their enterprise, which will provide comprehensive services to collectors—advising on how to manage, grow, and sell their collections. Read more here. [ADE]

• [Art Market Regulations] New EU Regulations Tighten the Frame on Cultural Property Imports

  From 28 June 2025, collectors importing cultural property originally created or discovered outside the EU, into the EU, must comply with new EU regulations (Regulation (EU) 2019/880).The regulations set out three categories of cultural goods. Category ‘A’ covers illegally exported items which are barred from entering the EU. Category B includes ‘high-risk’ items if they are more than 250 years old, for which the importer must obtain an import license prior to importing these goods into the EU. The second category C includes ‘lower risk’ items if they are more than 200 years old and have a value of €180,000 or more. In this case, prior to importing the goods, the importer must submit an important statement to Customs authorities in the EU Member States. Following Brexit, cultural property created or found in the UK will now be subject to the new EU rules. Read more here. [JG]

   

• [Cultural Heritage] Ukraine’s Museums Stripped as War Targets National Identity

  Since the invasion in 2022, Russian forces have looted or destroyed thousands of Ukrainian cultural treasures. About 15% of Ukraine’s registered cultural heritage items are confirmed stolen or missing, with over 6,000 objects from more than 30 museums logged in international databases. In autumn 2022, 14,000 artworks and objects were taken from the Kherson Regional Art Museum, which was completely emptied. Significant losses include a 2,300-year-old Scythian gold helmet from Melitopol and Sir Peter Lely’s Lady with a Dog. Read more here. [JG]

• [Art Vandalism] Climate Activists Throw Paint at a Picasso in Canada

  On June 19, a climate activist threw pink paint at a Picasso painting, entitled “L’Hétaire” at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. The activist, who cited Canadian wildfires and the lack of a “protection agency” as the reason for his protest, was linked to the environmentalist group Last Generation Canada. Luckily the painting was not damaged by the act, since the canvas is protected by glass. Read more here. [AD]

• [Cultural Heritage] Ukraine’s Artists Turn to Blockchain to Keep National Heritage Alive

  Against the backdrop of Russia’s systematic destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, the Ukrainian art community conceived the Ukrainian Fund of Digitized Art (UFDA) to preserve and share its cultural heritage. Currently this preserves more than 3,000 works in ultra-high resolution across contemporary and classic Ukrainian art. All proceeds from the sale of these digitised artworks are directed to support Ukrainian NGOs. Read more here. [JG] 

• [Restitution] Harvard’s Daguerreotypes of Enslaved Individuals, Taken Under Duress, Reclaimed by a Descendant

  In 1850, a Harvard professor and proponent of pseudoscientific, racist “experiments” commissioned daguerrotypes, or early photographs, of enslaved people. Harvard’s Peabody museum, up until recently, kept these images in their collection. Tamara Lanier, a descendent of one of the images’ subject, Renty, sued Harvard for wrongful possession and expropriation in 2019. In a recent settlement, it was decided that the University’s daguerrotypes of enslaved individuals would be transferred to the International African American Museum in South Carolina. Read more here. [AD]

   

• [Cultural Heritage] Reparation as Gameplay

  South African video game developer Nyamakop has created a new game that allows players to repatriate African artefacts by looting Western museums. Players join a group of thieves and participate in heists to return the artefacts to their rightful homes. All artefacts seen in Relooted are based on real-world cultural objects. The game has yet to be released, but the trailer is available to watch now. Read more here. [JS]

   

• [Repatriation] Oxford University to Return Ancestral Human Remains

  In June, the Pitt Rivers Museum, part of the University of Oxford, met with leaders from Naga Tribe Hohos to discuss the return of ancestral human remains and objects containing human hair, collected by colonial administrators in the early 20th century. This marks a first step in creating a dialogue between museums and Indigenous communities that can help facilitate the process of repatriation and healing the wounds of the past. Read more here. [JS]

• [Art Crime] Lithuania Sentences Thief of Rare Russian Books

  On June 9, 2025, a Lithuanian court sentenced Georgian national Mikheil Zamtaradze to three years and four months in prison for stealing rare 19th-century Russian literary works from Vilnius University, as part of a larger string of thefts across Europe. Zamtaradze admitted to stealing 17 books, including works by Pushkin and Gogol, on commission from a Russian auction house employee who supplied fake documents and forgeries to replace the originals. The thefts, orchestrated by a cross-border criminal group, have led to heightened security at affected institutions. Read more here. [EBK]

• [AI & Copyright] Denmark Plans Legal Protection Against Unauthorized Deepfakes

  The Danish government has reached cross-party agreement on a proposal to amend its copyright law in response to growing concerns over generative AI. The planned legislation would give individuals copyright-style protections over the unauthorized use of their image, voice, or body in synthetic media. If passed, it would allow people to request takedowns and seek compensation for deepfakes created without their consent. Satirical and humorous content would remain exempt. Public consultation is scheduled for summer 2025, with formal legislation expected to be introduced to Parliament in the fall. Read more here. [LY]

   

• [Art and Tax] Italy Lowers VAT on Art Sale to 5%

  After warnings from artists and galleries about a potential market collapse, the Italian government has reduced down the Value Added Tax from 22% to 5%, making it the lowest in Europe. The previous 22% rate had set the country apart from significantly lower art tax rates in France and Germany. It is predicted that, as a result of the cut, the sector’s revenue will be boosted to $1.78 billion in the next three years. Read more here. [JS]

• [Art Law; Budget] “Big Beautiful” Changes to Museum Funding Under Trump’s Budget Proposal

  President Trump’s new budget bill includes $40 million in funding for the National Garden of American Heroes, a sculpture park featuring 250 statues of notable Americans, including George Washington and Kobe Bryant. The funding is drawn from the National Endowment for the Humanities, reallocating money typically used for grants to museums, libraries, and cultural programs. Though the project was originally launched during his previous term, this marks the first time Congress will formally fund the installation. Read more here. [VG]

• [Art Market] Tim Blum Leaves Traditional Gallery Model for a “Flexible” Future

  Tim Blum, known for his influential galleries in Los Angeles and Tokyo, is shifting his approach after decades in the contemporary art world. Citing burnout and disillusionment with the market’s demands, Blum plans to pursue a more flexible model focused on collaborations and special projects, without the limitations of a fixed public exhibition space. Read more here. [VG]