Insights

5Pointz Verdict a Mixed Blessing for Graffiti Artists

February 13, 2018 – Media Mention
Village Voice

The Village Voice quotes Barry Werbin in its reporting on a federal judge’s ruling in the 5Pointz graffiti case, which found that a developer had violated the Visual Artists Rights Act by painting over iconic graffiti murals and ordered the developer to pay the artists a whopping $6.76 million in damages. Noting that “developers who commission art have their eyes wide open now,” Barry predicted that  aerosol artists might be able to use the precedent as a sort of bargaining chip, extracting cash or other concessions from building owners in exchange for signing away their VARA rights.