According to Arturo Di Modica's lawsuit, a number of American companies illegally use his bull for advertising purposes, and also sell photographs of its image and souvenir copies. The latter accusation primarily concerns the American retail corporation Wall-Mart, which sells such souvenir products without the knowledge or permission of the author of the world-famous New York sculpture.
Representatives of the accused side have not yet commented on the sculptor's lawsuit. Perhaps the violators decided that the statue installed on city-owned land could be considered 'public property.' But this is far from the case: the Italian sculptor is not only the copyright holder of the formidable bull, as evidenced by a patent issued in 1998, but also its actual owner – the statue is only provided to the city 'for temporary use.'
Notably, the legendary bull was created by the sculptor as a kind of joke to encourage the American market after the stock market crash of 1987. On the night of December 15, 1989, the prankster Di Modica secretly, without permission from the authorities, installed the three-ton sculpture in front of the New York Stock Exchange building. The 'foundling' immediately became popular with New Yorkers, and within a few days, city authorities gave permission for the statue to be installed, but not directly in front of the Stock Exchange, but further south on Broadway, where it still stands today.
The Italian sculptor has repeatedly tried to sell the bronze bull. About two years ago, Di Modica put it up for auction, setting a starting price of $5 million, and also making a non-negotiable condition – the sculpture must remain in its current location, as it was created specifically for New York and New Yorkers. No buyer was found then, nor did the city itself have sufficient funds, for which the statue had become as important a symbol as the Statue of Liberty.
At the end of last week, the Italian sculptor reported that there is indeed a buyer for the sculpture, and moreover, he will transfer ownership to the city. However, as Di Modica stressed, this event will not affect the fate of the copyright lawsuit in any way.
Maria GRECHINA.
Gazeta.Ru