[Upd-discuss] The Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006

[John Howkins]

This is the UK implementation of a longstanding EU law-making process ending
with a directive creating, as you say, a right (droit du suite) whereby the
original author benefits from subsequent sales of the original work.  The
author gets a fixed percentage of future sales monies, subject to a cap.  It
has been highly contested: supported by artists' estates (at least, those
that can afford lawyers) and attacked by sale-rooms.
The reference you gave was also interesting for reminding us that British
legislative texts are copyright and the Crown needs to be asked before we
can print them.  If ever there was a case for CC, this is it.
John


On 8/2/06 9:52 AM, "James Davis" <jamesd@jml.net> wrote:

> This piece of legislation looks "interesting" and I'd never heard of it
> before. I wonder what everyone on the list thinks of it.
> 
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/draft/20063820.htm
> 
> It creates a resale royalties right for artists whereby the artist is
> paid royalties on resales of his work beyond his initial sale. That is,
> if I sold a painting to Alice who later sold my photograph to Bob, I'd
> be due a percentage of the money Alice received from Bob even though I'd
> already sold her the entire work.
> 
> It seems slightly odd and unnatural to me especially if we substitute
> painting with photograph and I could create multiple, near identical
> copies of my work with little effort.
> 
> James