Supreme Court rules Warhol's Prince silkscreens infringed photographer's copyright
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Andy Warhol's estate infringed photographer Lynn Goldsmith's copyright by using her 1981 photograph of Prince without authorization. Warhol created 14 silkscreens and two pencil illustrations for Vanity Fair based on Goldsmith's image, originally taken for Newsweek magazine. Goldsmith, 75, discovered the unauthorized works only after Prince's death in 2016. The case centered on fair use, with the Court finding that both Warhol's and Goldsmith's images served the same commercial purpose of depicting Prince in a magazine. Justice Sonia Sotomayor emphasized that photographers' original works deserve copyright protection, even against famous artists. The ruling has been closely watched in art and entertainment circles for its implications on transformative use of copyrighted material.
Key facts
- The Supreme Court ruled against Andy Warhol's estate in a copyright case on Thursday
- Lynn Goldsmith's 1981 photograph of Prince was used without authorization by Warhol
- Warhol created 14 silkscreens and two pencil illustrations for Vanity Fair based on the photo
- Goldsmith learned of the unauthorized works after Prince's death in 2016
- The case focused on the legal question of fair use
- The Court found both images served the same commercial purpose of depicting Prince in a magazine
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated photographers' works are entitled to copyright protection
- The ruling has implications for the use of copyright-protected works in art and entertainment
Entities
Artists
- Andy Warhol
- Lynn Goldsmith
- Prince
Institutions
- Supreme Court
- Vanity Fair
- Newsweek
Locations
- United States