Graffiti Artists Charge ‘Infringement’ Against Companies That Use Their Work

Street artists whose outdoor murals have been used as background for retail ads or re-created on film sets have lawyered up, suing corporations for copyright infringement. Some experts say that corporations like American Eagle or Roberto Cavalli have little defense when they appropriate this work for advertising and on retail products without permission. “In today’s fashion marketplace, affiliation with artists bearing such ‘street credibility’ is highly sought-after by retail brands for the cultural cachet and access to the profitable youth demographic that it offers,” says a lawsuit filed by street artist David Anasagasti against American Eagle. The suit seeks detailed customer and sales data from the retailer as a means to calculate just how much American Eagle benefitted from Anasagasti’s street cred.