UPDATE on the Auction Action
Last week, we posted the New York Times story that artists are suing Sotheby’s, Christie’s and eBay, claiming that the auctioneers willfully violated a California law requiring royalty payments on sales of their works.
This week, the New York Times reports that the auctioneers are striking back. Or trying to.
Sotheby’s responded to the suit with a terse statement: “We believe the claim is meritless, and it will be vigorously defended.” Christie’s said that it “views the California Resale Royalties Act as subject to serious legal challenges” and that it “looks forward to addressing these issues in court.” The law has so far survived two legal challenges, and experts in art law are divided about whether it might be vulnerable on constitutional grounds.
