Press laws and ethicsBY BHAVISHA JANGID

Art Rogers vs. Jeff Koons

Art Rogers

Art Rogers who is a professional photographer Black-and white photo of a man and woman

sitting on a bench holding 8 puppies called “Puppies”

Photograph used on various greeting cards and other

generic merchandise.

Art Rogers, Puppies,photography, 1985

Jeff koons

One of the most important living contemporary artists

Found the postcard Made a sculpture based on the photograph Jeff Koons created his work of art in 1988 Entitled it String of Puppies

JEFF KOONS, STRING OF PUPPIES, POLYCHROMO ON WOOD, 1988

The case : copyrights infringement

The resemblance between the photograph and the sculpture

There are some subtle differences found The case of the exaggerated noses of the

puppies and some other added elements such as the flowers behind the woman’s ears

Koons sold three editions for a total of $367,000 May 1989, Rogers came acroos Koons sculpture

on the front page of the Los Angeles Times’ Sunday calendar section

Sue Jeff Koons and the gallery that represented him during that time i.e. Sonnabend Gallery.

Koons did not deny that he copied the photograph

He claimed that it was fair use by parody. Parody is defined as the humorous form of

social commentary and literary criticism in which one work imitates another.

Procedure Rogers brought suit against Koons in the United States District

Court for the Southern District of New York Alleging copyright infringement and unfair competition under §

43(a) of the Lanham Act and under state law. District court limited Rogers' motion to the copyright

infringement claim. The court entered a permanent injunction enjoining Koons and

Sonnabend Gallery from making, selling, lending or displaying any copies of, or derivative works based on, "Puppies,"

Defendants to deliver all infringing articles to plaintiff within 20 days, including the fourth or artist's copy of "String of Puppies."

Holding

Number of Judgment of District Court is affirmed.

J.K. ROWLING SUES THE DAILY MAIL FOR LIBEL

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is suing the Daily Mail published an article in September How JK Rowling’s sob story about her past as a single mother

has left the churchgoers who cared for her upset and bewildered- online

“How JK Rowling’s sob story about her single mother past has surprised and confused the church members who cared for her” in print.

The article related to a recent piece Rowling had written for a charity website about the struggles faced by single parents.

 This case comes at an interesting time legally, as libel laws in the UK have recently changed.

J.K.ROWLING, AUTHOR, HARRY POTTER SERIES

Allegation complained of self-evidently of a serious nature False picture of the claimant’s article on the Gingerbread

website As the defendant’s journalist must have known the claimant

had not accused her fellow churchgoers of ‘stigmatising’ or ‘cruelly taunting’ her.

She had referred to a single occasion involving a woman who had visited the church one day whilst she was working there.

There was thus no basis in fact for the central premise of the article.