- Artist must pay painter lion's wire damages
Artist Leon Loewentraut awarded €26,000 in damages for copyright infringement. The 12th Civil Chamber of Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled that the defendant artist violated Loewentraut's copyright on three paintings. He copied and sold the artworks without Loewentraut's consent and published them on his Instagram channel. The overall impression of the copies matched the originals, with no evidence of the defendant's own creative input. The ruling is not yet final.
The defendant had signed and sold the copied images using his own name, claiming he had only made private copies for practice purposes, using Loewentraut's style as a reference. Loewentraut sought €26,000 in damages, which was the amount awarded (Case No.: 12 O 156/24).
The defendant's act of selling the copied artwork under his own name was a violation of Leon Loewentraut's artistic rights. Despite claiming it was for practice, the defendant's use of Loewentraut's distinctive style in his artwork is a notable instance of artistic influence.
