Tag Archives: NFTs

NFTs as ‘property’ – in art and law

Posted on: September 2, 2022 by Emily Gould

While some high profile artists have been somewhat underwhelmed by the NFT phenomenon, others have been much more eager to dip their toes into NFT waters. Undeterred by naysayers such as David Hockney, who in one interview, deemed NFTs as for ‘crooks and swindlers’, artists such as Damien Hirst have embraced the new technology. Hirst’s […]

New issue of Art Antiquity and Law out soon

Posted on: August 4, 2022 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

The second issue of 2022 from Art Antiquity and Law has now gone to press and hard copy will be sent out to subscribers next week. This issue covers a range of topics: Emily Gould, Assistant Director of the Institute of Art and Law, provides a detailed examination of the law relating to NFTs. These […]

NFTs as property: courts start to rein in the NFT ‘Wild West’

Posted on: May 11, 2022 by Emily Gould

The NFT space is commonly characterised as a ‘Wild West’, where anything goes and legal controls are minimal. A recent decision of the UK High Court suggests that the law’s lasso of control is at least starting to bring some order to the purported chaos. In a case involving the alleged theft of two NFTs […]

Can an NFT be art? And why it matters…

Posted on: January 26, 2022 by Emily Gould

Term has started again this week for students of the Art Business and Law LLM provided by IAL in conjunction with Queen Mary, University of London. This semester, students will embark on three diverse new topics: Art and Intellectual Property, covering the intangible aspects of art; Art and Money, exploring the financial parameters of the […]

NFTs – contemplating copyright and contract conundrums (part II)

Posted on: June 2, 2021 by Emily Gould

In our post last week, we explored some of the copyright issues raised by recent stories from the world of NFTs. Today, we turn our focus to matters of contract law. How can we address the challenges posed by contractual mechanisms unfamiliar to many in the art world? And where we might look for answers […]

NFTs – contemplating copyright and contract conundrums (part I)

Posted on: May 28, 2021 by Emily Gould

It hardly seems possible that the now world-famous sale of Beeple’s ‘Everydays’ NFT at the eyewatering price of $69 million happened less than three months ago. The sale was still underway when we first offered a few thoughts on the explosion of NFTs onto the mainstream art market. Bidding was at what now feels like […]

NFTs – a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come?

Posted on: March 9, 2021 by Emily Gould

Another week, another acronym for the art world. In the past year or so, whilst many AMPs (art market professionals) have grappled with getting to KYC (know your customer) in compliance with new AML (anti money-laundering) rules, they have also been faced with moving from the bustling world of art fairs and high street galleries […]