Last week we brought you the sad story of chiptune artist Andy Baio and his run in with the legal system over an album cover. Opponents of current copyright laws will no doubt then get a smile out of this.
An anonymous sponsor in New York City paid people to put up posters of the album cover on the home of photographer Jay Maisel, who sued over Baio’s work (he took the original photo of Miles Davis used on the chiptune album’s cover), the art adorned with the text “ALL ART IS THEFT”.
The person responsible, writing anonymously to Hyperallergenic, says:
I hope that every time Jay leaves the house, he sees these posters—and as he looks at them or tries to tear them down he thinks about how evil what he did was. Maybe he’ll realise that at some level all art borrows from other art, and suing another artist for fair use appropriation undermines all artists. Maybe he’ll feel guilty about being such a thief. And then maybe he’ll think about giving that money back—or donating it to charity or something. But probably not.
Maybe not the most constructive protest, but then, you can rarely make an artistic statement by being constructive.
Breaking: Millionaire Extorts $$$ From Artist, Street Artists Strike Back [Hyperallergenic]
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