Fashion giant Louis Vuitton took exception to the t-shirts Nadia Plesner designed to raise money for the children of Darfur. They featured a starving child carrying a Vuitton bag and a chihuahua. The company decided to sue Plesner. She had no money for legal costs so she shut down her t-shirt operation and began work on a 32 square foot oil painting that took her 14 months to complete thinking a piece of art would be immune from copyright infringement laws. Tipping her hat to Picassa's Guernica she titled her work Darfurnica. The little boy with his designer bag and chihuahua looks out from the centre of the painting which includes, among others, Barack Obama, Britney Spears and the Cancer Big Brother star Jade Goody.Louis Vuitton once again took her to court alleging Plesner was linking their brand to violence in Darfur and once again they won but she has no regrets. As her fines mount she has drawn attention to starvation in Darfur and has been able to send containers filled with medical supplies to the area.
This story illustrates an egregious violation of artistic freedom as well as the power of deep pockets.
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Thanks Bruce!
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