Swiss street artist Smash 137 sues General Motors over unauthorized use of mural in Cadillac ad
On January 22, 2018, Swiss street artist Adrian Falkner, who goes by Smash 137, filed a lawsuit against General Motors in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The case stems from a mural he created in 2014 at Garage Z in Detroit, which GM used for Cadillac XT5 advertising in November 2016 without his consent. Falkner alleges copyright infringement and is seeking damages. A hearing is scheduled for Monday. The article also references similar legal disputes, such as Jamie Mitchel Kose's mural featured in Kiesza's 'Hideaway' video, Cavalli's unauthorized use of an MSK crew mural, and Alicé's grievance regarding her artwork in J-AX and Fedez's 'Assenzio.' In Italy, KayOne won a lawsuit against Nicola Leonetti for unauthorized reproduction of his art.
Key facts
- Adrian Falkner (Smash 137) sued General Motors on January 22, 2018, in Central District of California.
- The mural was painted in 2014 inside Garage Z, a public art space in a Detroit parking garage.
- GM used the mural as background for Cadillac XT5 social media campaign in November 2016 without permission.
- Next hearing is scheduled for Monday (as of article date).
- Jamie Mitchel Kose's mural was used in Kiesza's 'Hideaway' video without authorization.
- Cavalli reproduced a mural by MSK crew (Jason 'Revok' Williams, Victor 'Reyes' Chapa, Jeoffrey 'Steel') in its Graffiti Girls collection.
- Italian street artist Alicé complained about her work in J-AX and Fedez's 'Assenzio' video but did not sue.
- KayOne (Marco Mantovani) won a lawsuit against Nicola Leonetti for unauthorized reproduction and sale of his works; Milan court ordered removal and publication in Flash Art.
Entities
Artists
- Adrian Falkner
- Smash 137
- Jamie Mitchel Kose
- Jason Revok Williams
- Victor Reyes Chapa
- Jeoffrey Steel
- Alicé
- Marco Mantovani
- KayOne
- Nicola Leonetti
- Gilberto Cavagna di Gualdana
Institutions
- General Motors
- Cadillac
- Garage Z
- Cavalli
- MSK
- Flash Art
- Tribunale di Milano
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- New York Times
- Artribune
Locations
- Detroit
- Michigan
- United States
- California
- San Francisco
- Italy
- Milan