20130513-en-prix annette giacometti dp

PRESS RELEASE
ANNETTE GIACOMETTI PRIZE 2013
FOR THE RIGHTS OF ARTWORKS AND ARTISTS
OFFICIAL PRIZE AWARD CEREMONY
THURSDAY MAY 23, 2013
PALAIS DU LUXEMBOURG / SALLE COTY - 15 RUE VAUGIRARD - 75006 PARIS
Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr THE 2013 ANNETTE GIACOMETTI PRIZE NOMINEES FOR THE RIGHTS OF ARTWORKS AND ARTISTS
TREASURE DETECTIVES / CNBC Curtis DOWLING, art expert Treasure Detectives is a TV show produced by CNBC and presented by art expert Curtis DOWLING. Together with his team of investigators he verifies the authenticity of collectible, artworks and antiquities submitted by the show’s viewers. COVERING OF THE KNOEDLER CASE / NEW YORK TIMES Patricia COHEN, journalist Patricia COHEN has been a New York Times journalist for twelve years. She also wrote for Rolling Stone magazine and The Washington Post. Since February 2012, she has been covering the Knoedler case, named after an art gallery (active between 1846-­‐2011) accused by former clients of having sold several forgeries attributed to famous artists including Pollock, Rothko, De Kooning and Motherwell. CAMPAGNE AGAINTS COUNTERFEITERS / THE OATMEAL.COM Matthew INMAN, artist The FunnyJunk.com website illegally reproduced many of Matthew INMAN’s drawings without his consent, before prosecuting him for fake accusations for reneging on the website’s actions. In reaction, the artist raised an Internet campaign aiming to show to the website and its lawyers his ability to defend his rights by attracting Internet users’ interest. In only 1 hour and 40 minutes, he managed to collect the 20, 000 Euros that were claimed by the website’s lawyers before immediately donating that sum to two no-­‐
profit organisations. MOBILE APPLICATION / BRAND REPORTER BRANDBOUNTY, developer The mobile app BRAND REPORTER allows consumers to analyse a great variety of products in order to control their authenticity. It also enables them to localise and signal fake products and forgeries as well as their malevolent sellers. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr A TRIBUTE TO ANNETTE GIACOMETTI (1923–1993)
Annette Arm was born on October 28th 1923 in Pregny, near Geneva. After taking a secretarial course, she worked at the Red Cross during the Second World War. This was when she met Alberto Giacometti — a refugee in Switzerland since January 1942 -­‐ in a brasserie. In July 1946, she joined him in Paris, and they were married in 1949. Up until Alberto’s death in 1966, Annette was his main female model. The couple had no children, so Annette Giacometti became the sole usufructuary of her husband’s rights and copyright, and was entrusted with the task of organizing the management and protection of her husband’s work. Annette Giacometti immediately got down to the job of preparing a complete database of her husband’s authentic works. She gathered documentation and information about how his works were made, and their location. In tandem, Annette Giacometti embarked on a fight against the counterfeiting of her husband’s works. She fought tirelessly to have the ever-­‐growing number of fakes seized. When she died in Paris on September 19th 1993, she had 50 fake works in her possession. In order to carry on this twofold mission — documenting and protecting the work — Annette Giacometti was keen to create a foundation to accommodate her archives and collections. The Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation was created in 2003. Its aim is to protect, disseminate and spread the influence of Alberto Giacometti’s work. The Foundation is actively involved in preventing the traffic of fake and counterfeit works of art. From 1966 to 1993, Annette Giacometti devoted her whole life to the defense of her husband's œuvre, never speaking to the media about it. The Annette Giacometti Prize was created as a tribute to her fight. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr INTRODUCTION
With the transformation of the art market and the rising price of works, the globalization of trade, the development of the internet and the emergence of global online sales networks, the counterfeiting of artworks has become, just like trademark counterfeiting, nothing less than an industry. Every year, billions of euros now supply this illicit trade on a global scale, for the benefit of transnational organized crime and at the expense of artists and collectors – and even museums sometimes unwittingly exhibit counterfeits. This booming parallel economy stifles the art market and tends to crowd out existing structures, causing loss of growth, jobs and tax revenue. It also poses an increasingly serious threat to our cultural heritage, as counterfeiting denatures authentic art. Tangible cultural heritage is at the heart of our individual and collective identity, serving both the public interest and the common good. It is essential to preserve it as our bequeath to future generations. Since its inception in 2003, the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation has been defending art and the artists through a resolute and consistent policy, promoting intellectual property and fighting against fraud and counterfeiting. This includes awareness raising actions such as the Annette Giacometti Prize and the ART ©OPYRIGHT grant. Launched in 2011, the Annette Giacometti Prize is designed to honor a recent initiative helping to raise awareness of the problem of artworks counterfeiting. It may involve any initiative from around the world having promoted the rights of artworks and artists in an innovative and appreciable way. The winning project is chosen amongst a few initiatives, preselected by a jury composed of six experts and the winner of the previous year. The prize can for instance reward an exhibition, a book, an article, a website, a University dissertation, a documentary film... The 2011 Prize went to the Victoria & Albert Museum for the exhibition The Metropolitan Police Service’s Investigation of Fakes and Forgeries, organized with Scotland Yard by Sarah Grant, Curator of Engraved Ornament. For the 2013 edition of the Annette Giacometti Prize, four projects were shortlisted by the jury. The winner will be announced at the official ceremony held at the LUXEMBOURG Palace in Paris on May 23, 2013. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr THE 2012 ANNETTE GIACOMETTI PRIZE JURY With the participation of the winner of the 2012 Annette Giacometti Prize: Stefan KOLDEHOF Journalist at Deutschlandfunk Radio Tobias TIMM Journalist at Die Zeit German Deutschlandfunk radio-­‐Journalist Stefan KOLDEHOFF together with Die Zeit newspapers journalist Tobias TIMM were awarded the 2012 Annette Giacometti Prize for their investigation on the Jaegers-­‐Beltracchi fake paintings case that was first published in German media. The two journalists co-­‐wrote the book Falsche Bilder-­‐Echtes Geld : Der Fälschungscoup des Jahrhunderts, based on that case, firstly published in Germany in May 2012 by Galiani publisher (Berlin), then in French in April 2013 by Jacqueline Chambon (Paris) under the title L’Affaire Beltracchi. Enquête sur l’un des plus grands scandales de faux tableaux du siècle et sur ceux qui en ont profité. The other members of the jury (2011-­‐2013): ART COUNTERFEITING : PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES What are the objectives of the Annette Giacometti Prize for the rights of works and artists, founded in 2011 by the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation? The board of directors was keen to pay tribute to the work of Annette Giacometti, who fought for almost 30 years since her husband’s death to do away with counterfeits. By creating this honour prize « for the rights of art and the artists » last year, we wanted to emphasize a positive and constructive attitude, aiming firstly to educate the public and inform those involved in the art market and the cultural world, as well as the powers-­‐that-­‐be, about respecting artists’ rights and copyright. How does this prize link up with the Foundation’s mission? The Foundation manages Alberto Giacometti’s author’s rights and copyrights in the name of the copyright holders, and its mission is to promote and protect his oeuvre. After we were created in 2003, it was soon obvious that without a greater collective awareness of the art fraud and Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr counterfeit problem, our isolated efforts would be futile. This, incidentally, is why the Foundation co-­‐
founded, in 2007, the Association of Beneficiaries of Artists, Decorators and Designers, a partner of the National Anti-­‐Counterfeit Commission. This is also why we are announcing the creation of an international rights holders association, the Union of Modern and Contemporary Masters. You chose to both a grand prize (the Annette Giacometti Prize) while also encouraging a project (with the ART ©OPYRIGHT grant). Can you explain the goals of both initiatives ? Le Prize is awarded for an innovating, noteworthy action carried out over the past year. It is mainly honorary. The ART ©OPYRIGHT grant is a financial encouragement, which allows the realisation of an idea or supports a project that can help raise awareness of the issues in art counterfeiting. The grant may also, where appropriate, serve to give a boost to one of the projects selected by the jury as nominees for the Prize. It is undeniable that the spread of counterfeit works is endangering the international cultural heritage. What are the risks here? The huge majority of counterfeit works adulterate the authentic model. They are by-­‐products with no qualities of their own. Today, we can see that counterfeits are making their way even into museums where they are distorting the way the public sees art. What is involved is gangrene through ersatz copies. Whether fraudulent copies or unauthorized "appropriation", they are highly misleading for the public, who do not have a point of comparison. The practice of art is unique to human beings, and authentic art cannot be separated from the concept of civilization. The goal of those producing counterfeits is invariably and uniquely lucrative. All that is involved for them is making easy money off the renown of someone else’s creative work. They are vampires and parasites, and their output will slowly but surely suffocate creative activity if we fail to react. What do you say to those who accuse you of exercising a monopoly? Identical reproduction is a monopoly management, but it is limited in time: 70 years after the artist’s death. Let us bear in mind that it is only the property right that ceases. As for adulterating imitations, this is not an alternative for consumers: it cannot replace the genuine work. There are no generic works of art. Once the copyright has expired, surveillance and the elimination of adulterations remain forever the responsibility of those holding the copyright. How many counterfeit Picassos do you reckon are put up for sale each year ? There are about 500 fakes a year which pass through the hands of the Picasso Estate Administrator during authentications. The situation is different with galleries, because we have no information about the works in terms of resale rights, and we don’t receive the catalogues beforehand, when they exist. So we know that fakes do exist, but it’s impossible here to say how many. As far as the Internet market (art fakes) is concerned, the situation is appalling, because thousands of Picasso works are offered for sale, presented as unique originals or as multiple originals, when they are either fakes, or common-­‐or-­‐garden reproductions sold at totally prohibitive prices, and the whole thing is accompanied by guarantee certificates which are meaningless, and whose only purpose is to create confusion… How does counterfeiting affect the visual arts? Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr The counterfeit phenomenon is severely affecting the visual arts. What’s more, the visual arts situation is unusual in more than one respect in this domain. What is in fact involved is a counterfeit that is quite often unknown to the powers-­‐that-­‐be, the press, and the public itself, and which suffers from being thus unknown, while the volumes are huge. This is a complex, two-­‐fold form of counterfeit, which has to do with the intrinsic distinctiveness of the work of art. In fact it is important to see this counterfeiting not only from the angle of the suppression of the art fake, but also from the angle of protecting the author’s copyright, a dimension that is too often overlooked by the studies carried out. The Picasso Estate, in this respect, is pleased with the agreement reached by several major Estates/Artist’s Foundations to define certain strategic lines of joint struggle, to share information, and to work for the defense and protection of the works and rights of the artists they are responsible for. What are the means being deployed by the Picasso Administration to fight counterfeiting? The Picasso Estate, which exercises its rights directly, has, as far as the market policy is concerned, a considerable advantage, in the field of auction sales. Its intervention in the management of the resale right enables it to check works of art that are offered for sale and immediately contact the auction house, when a work is suspect, and have it duly withdrawn. So there is a coherence between the fight against fakes and the management of a copyright, which also means that this estate does not receive any resale right on a work which it reckons to be a fake, moreover. In addition, because the market demands certificates of authenticity issued by the Picasso Estate, the French market for sales by auction is relatively healthy for Picasso. Over the last few years, the Picasso Estate has invested more than 5 million euros in the fight against counterfeiting, not counting the in-­‐house salary costs of the teams running this fight. This figure is much lower than it should be, if the Estate had the human and financial capacity to pursue each counterfeit, which, obviously enough, is not the case. So this is not a figure which corresponds to the strategic choices made by the Picasso Estate in the fight against fraud. What are the main obstacles you come up against in the law? Slowness: the underestimation of the damage caused by counterfeits and thus of the damages and interest; the under-­‐estimation of article 700, because lawyers’ fees are very high, bearing in mind the complexity of such cases. So the cost of the fight is underwritten by the heirs and beneficiaries, and it is systematically “in the red”. What is more, no foreign legislation barely if at all recognizes the author’s copyright, which often makes proceedings abroad difficult. So for a long time now the Picasso Estate has been developing a protective strategy for the rights which it represents, by acting in the area of the author’s copyright, but also in that of the right of brands and in that of rights of publicity. The 1970 Convention, drawn up UNESCO, is aimed at fighting against the illicit traffic in cultural goods. How can action be taken to protect artworks from counterfeiting? We must make a clear distinction between areas of application and normative international instruments. The 1970 Convention applies to cultural goods, which are designated by each State as being part of its heritage. This consequently involves operations like inventories, which endow the work with a particular status on which to base the program to combat illicit traffic. So it is important to find other ways to combat counterfeiting. Respect for artists, whatever kind they may be, and promoting, through education, their cultural and economic role in society are ways of fighting against fraud, which must absolutely be strengthened… The Internet, and its various multimedia variations, nowadays help us to communicate in a global and extremely fast way. Nevertheless, these tools can Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr turn out to be harmful, if an artist’s work is broadcast unbeknownst to him/her. What are the current methods for effectively protecting artistic creation? One of UNESCO’s very first conventions protected creative work: the Universal Copyright Convention. Adopted in 1952, the Convention protects copyrights for literary, scientific and artistic works, including cinematographic works. This convention was perforce unable to anticipate works and uses permitted by the development of the new media. In this territory, distinctions still have to be made. On the one hand, there is the specific issue of protecting artistic creation using the new media, which concerns the reproduction and theft of all or part of works created with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), i.e. virtual works, multimedia works, and so on. In this case, it is necessary to increase the marking systems of works and encourage all artists to have their works recognized by using copyright and intellectual property protection systems established in their countries. Then, on the other hand, there is the problem of the large-­‐scale distribution of stolen works and fakes carried out by using the ICTs and all the various communication networks. The development of national legislations, the ratification of international instruments to permit a compatibilization of legislations and the extension of their possible range of applications, and last of all close cooperation among all the services responsible for the protection of artworks are all the most effective ways of combating fraud by way of the new media. Are there certain current events, which you have dealt with in the magazine Museum International, which are linked to this issue of copyright for works and artists? The task of Museum International is to inform and disseminate knowledge and details of policies where heritage and museums are concerned. The magazine focuses on the major debates exercising society, debates which are of concern to international organizations. Within the UN, UNESCO is the only organization which has culture and the protection of cultural figures among its fundamental missions. Helping to strengthen the place of creative works, past and contemporary alike, in our societies, and thus defending artists’ copyrights, has been a powerful theme of the UNESCO mandate since it was created. FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEITING /
THE ACTIONS OF THE ALBERTO AND ANNETTE GIACOMETTI FOUNDATION
Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti is a non-­‐profit private institution created by governmental decree in December 2003, focused on promoting, disseminating, preserving and protecting Alberto Giacometti's work. The Foundation, having received a bequest from Alberto Giacometti's widow Annette, holds a collection of circa 5,000 works, by Alberto Giacometti including 95 paintings, 260 bronzes and 550 plasters, thousands of drawings and prints. Any activity aimed at protecting Giacometti’s work and enhancing its reputation falls under the Foundation’s purview. As the majority holder of Alberto Giacometti's rights, the Foundation seeks to prevent the circulation of forgeries and counterfeit works. It defends with vigor and passion of the artist's moral rights, relentlessly combatting forgery and counterfeiting all around the world. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr The action taken by the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation since its inception has helped to improve awareness of the issue of artworks counterfeiting, as well as to join stakeholders’ forces in the protection of our cultural heritage. INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS : INTERNET WATCH
With the development of the Internet and the emergence of global online trade networks, counterfeit art has spread to new areas. The Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation focuses on educating consumers and sellers about this new cybercrime, and provides constant monitoring of Internet commerce. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr Most fakes and counterfeits of authentic artworks are now sold widely on the internet. On average, the Foundation daily identifies two or three worldwide, especially on eBay. New illicit trade websites are constantly being discovered. COOPERATION CHARTERS FOR FIGHTING AGAINST COUNTERFEITING
On 7th February 2012, the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation was the first artists’ rights holder to sign the Brochand/Sirinelli cooperation charters designed to fight against counterfeiting which were previously only open to trademarks. The Foundation is thus a signatory of the Charters of Cooperation in the Fight Against Counterfeiting and of the Charters of cooperations between copyright holders, associations representing copyright holders, and postal operators. Both Charters were designed by a ministerial mission conducted by Deputy Bernard BROCHAND and Professor Pierre SIRINELLI. The signing of these two Charters is in line with the action of the Fondation in favor of cooperation between public and private sector operators, to fight against counterfeiting, on a voluntary basis. WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANISATION INTERFACE PUBLIC MEMBERS PROGRAMME
The Foundation actively cooperates with the police, the gendarmerie, the French customs and the World Customs Organisaiton (WCO) in the fight against counterfeiting. On February 8th 2011, it became the first artist’s rights holder to join the WCO Interface Public Members Programme, which provides a secure communication tool for the exchange of information between right holders and customs administrations. The Foundation helps feed the "genuine/fake" database that field customs officers can access. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr Customs are the front line troops in the battle against counterfeit products. They account for about 90% of counterfeit goods confiscated in Europe, and 70% in the world. The WCO has a unique position in respect of national customs authorities and has launched an innovative initiative to facilitate the exchange of information between the private sector and customs, in order to improve the identification and seizure of counterfeit products. COLLECTIVE ACTION :
AADADD DESIGNERS AND DECORATORS RIGHT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION
The Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation is a founding member of the AADADD Right Holders Association (Association des Ayants Droit d'Artistes Décorateurs et Designers), créée en 2007. The AADADD represents artists who have distinguished themselves in the field of decorative arts and design. It aims to better ensure the rights of artists and fight against fraud. It allows its members to undertake collective action to take counterfeits off the art market. The association’s members Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr include the right holders for the following artists : Andre Arbus, Jean-­‐Michel Frank, Alberto Giacometti, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Emilio Terry, Robert Mallet-­‐Stevens. To find out more, please visit http://www.aadadd.org/ WORKING GROUP ON COUNTERFEIT ART
FRENCH NATIONAL ANTI-COUNTERFEITING COMMITTEE (CNAC) The Foundation also has initiated the creation, in October 2010, of the Working Group on Counterfeit Art, within the French National Anti-­‐Counterfeiting Committee (CNAC) intergovernmental platform. This working group, which is chaired by the President of the Le Corbusier Foundation (Jean-­‐Pierre Duport) and whose "rapporteur" is the French Ministry of Culture, aims at creating a dynamic think tank by bringing stakeholders from the public and private sectors together: author rights holders and right holders societies, as well as public administrations such as the customs, the police and the gendarmerie. To find out more, please visit http://www.contrefacon-­‐danger.com/ STOP PIRACY
The Foundation has been a partner of the Swiss Anti-­‐Counterfeiting and Piracy Platform Stop Piracy since 2011. Stop Piracy was created in July 2005 by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and ICC Switzerland (Swiss National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce). Stop Piracy undertakes a variety of activities, such as promoting cooperation between business and federal agencies and educating the public about the dangers of counterfeiting. To find out more, please visit http://www.stop-­‐piracy.ch/ INTERNATIONAL UNION OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY MASTERS (IUMCM)
The Foundation works closely with other major artists estates (Picasso, Dali, Yves Klein, Arp, Rodin, Le Corbusier) in order to raise awareness, within the art market, about the need to protect our cultural heritage for future generations, support the artists and their creation, and protect consumers. On April 26th, 2012 (World Intellectual Property Day) the Foundation participates in the creation of an international association of right holders : the International Union of Modern and Contemporary Masters (IUMCM). This association aims to bring together artists and artists’ rights holders of internationally renowned masters, who became famous for their contribution to the visual arts of the twentieth century (paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, works of art ...) and who have organized themselves to manage their work and their reputation through foundations, associations, corporations and other legal entities. The IUMCM assocation will be implementing the following actions : • Representing its members’ common interests worldwide, especially but not exclusively in the fields of copyright, trademark rights, and the rights attached to the artists' image and name ; • Defending, in France and abroad, the common interests of its members, particularly in relation to law courts, governments, elected officials, the art market and copyright management societies ; • Promoting the arts and the artistic heritage ; • Fighting against fraud and counterfeiting in the arts. Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEITING / OBJECTIVES OF THE ALBERTO AND ANNETTE GIACOMETTI FOUNDATION
The Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation monitors all initiatives aimed at improving the tools to fight against counterfeiting. It's mission is to ensure that are taken into account the specific issues of cultural, moral and artistic heritage of counterfeiting. PREVENTING ABUSE OF THE 1970 UNESCO CONVENTION The 1970 UNESCO Convention for the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property establishes compulsory export certificates issued by the State, certifying that the work is not exported as a "National Treasure" (for which export is prohibited). Counterfeiters use these official documents, which bear the national flag and the seal of the Ministry of Culture, in order to falsely certify the authenticity of their merchandise. In France, the Cultural Heritage Code accordingly provides a "certificate" for the export of cultural property. Despite a statement that this document does not imply authentication, the name of "certificate" and the presence of the seal of the Ministry of Culture both suggest a guarantee of the legality of the merchandise, and help allow its export. The following changes should be made : • Naming the certificate a "declaration" and clarifying its scope ; • Stating that it cannot be issued for any work having been declared counterfeit by court. COMPLETING THE ICOM CODE OF ETHICS FOR MUSEUMS As a guidance tool, the ICOM (International Council of Museums) Code of Ethics for Museums sets minimum standards of practice and performance for museums and their staff. By joining the organization, each member of ICOM is committed to this Code. The Code of Ethics of ICOM was unanimously adopted by the 15th General Assembly of ICOM, meeting in Buenos Aires (Argentina) November 4, 1986, as amended by the 20th General Assembly in Barcelona (Spain) July 6, 2001 under the title Code of Ethics for Museums and revised by the 21st General Assembly in Seoul (South Korea) October 8, 2004. The Code does not include the mention of artists’ rights (Berne Convention) within the legislative base tandards provided to museum professionals. Several measures could be taken in the future in order to enhance the scope of the Code, in particular with regards to promoting respect for the integrity of artworks and artists. The Foundation wishes to encourage museum professionals to meet the existing legislation, including : • Restoring protected artworks with the consent and collaboration of right holders ; • Seek the consent of copyright holders before reproducing images of copyrighted works in their collections (image databases) and allocatong these images; • Making sure, before exhibiting artworks, that they do not violate copyright (eg appropriationnist works). Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr STREGTHENING PENALTIES FOR ART COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT The penalty for infringement of artists’ copyright must be high enough to prevent organized crime from taking advantage of artists and their work. Art copyright violations typically carry lighter penalties than industrial trademark copyright infringement. Nothing justifies this difference between the two domains, especially as the production and distribution of counterfeit art has reached the same industrial scale as brand counterfeiting, and now uses the same global online vectors (internet trade). Artists rights holders therefore demand that the penalties associated with artists’ copyright infringement be aligned with that of industrial trademark copyright infringement, notably stating : • That committing an offense on an online network is an aggravating circumstance; • That the possession of an infringing artwork is considered to be counterfeiting. PRESS CONTACT For any request please contact us +33 1 44 54 52 44 / +33 1 44 54 34 82 communication@fondation-­‐giacometti.fr Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti | 8, rue du Grenier Saint Lazare 75003 Paris | www.fondation-­‐giacometti.fr