Banksy Loses Trademark To Two More Iconic Works
Image by Infrogmation of New Orleans / Flickr via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Back in May, Banksy lost a trademark dispute over an iconic image of a monkey. First appearing in 2002, the graffiti artist used the motif time and again, before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) declared its trademark invalid.
Now, Banksy continues to sustain hits to his extensive portfolio, with Radar Rat and Girl with Umbrella being stripped of their trademark. In its previous ruling, the EUIPO said the artist had been filing for trademarks in “bad faith,” as he wasn’t planning on commercializing the images.
“As Banksy has chosen to be anonymous and cannot be identified this would hinder him from being able to protect this piece of art under copyright laws without identifying himself, while identifying himself would take away from the secretive persona with propels his fame and success,” the panel said in a statement shared by UNILAD.
However, it seems Banksy isn’t backing down just yet. On the website of Pest Control Office Ltd, which authenticates artwork on behalf of Banksy, visitors can find the warning: “Please do not use Banksy’s images for any commercial purpose, including launching a range of merchandise or tricking people into thinking something is made or endorsed by the artist when it isn’t… saying Banksy wrote ‘copyright is for losers’ in his book doesn’t give you free rein to misinterpret the artist and commit fraud.”
With the rate the artist is losing the trademarks to his work, it seems this warning could soon turn into just a mere suggestion.
Image via eddiedangerous / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
[via UNILAD, images via various sources]
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