Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Art Law practice,Judith Wallace, was quoted in an article in GQ magazine, J Balvin Wore a KAWS Knock-Off Dye-Job to the Grammys, commenting on the legal questions surrounding a musician’s use of a renowned artist’s image as intellectual property.
Judith discusses the use of KAWS’ well-recognized image in the form of “an ephemeral work” dyed into the hair of J Balvin, the musician who appeared at the Grammys earlier this week. When asked about whether J Balvin could face a lawsuit by KAWS, Judith doubted the validity of such a suit such that a court would ask, “How does this affect the market for KAWS’s work? … There’s no product that’s for sale … I’ve never heard of anyone being sued over a hairstyle.”