Keywords
image rights
information society
artistic freedom
transformative innovation
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper examines the complex legal relationship between image rights, terms of use, fair use, and the limits of copyright in the context of contemporary art production, particularly in the information society. The paper focuses on the actions of American artist Richard Prince, who used photographs posted by Instagram users to create canvases that he exhibited and sold for large sums of money. Prince argued that his appropriation of the images and the addition of details, such as comments and likes, represented a creative and transformative innovation that did not violate any rights. This argument sparked a long legal dispute over copyright and fair use limits in American law, which raises important questions about the limits of artistic freedom and the risks of violating rights in the digital age. Drawing on the hermeneutic filter that philosophy can offer, the paper attempts to reconcile the various aspects of this controversy and offers some directions for a more assertive understanding of the problem from a legal standpoint.
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