authors’-shipwrecks: when artists IPRs are in troubled waters

Amanda Grey is an art lawyer at London based law firm Mishcon de Reya. She is Managing Associate of the firm’s established Art Law team who are recognised for finding creative solutions to intractable problems. Her vast range of clients include collectors, dealers, auction houses, artists, foundations, public and private institutions. She assists clients with a broad scope of contentious and non-contentious issues that cover ownership, provenance attribution and reputation. Amanda also co-founded the firms multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group, where she provides bespoke advice to clients on luxury assets such as classic cars and bloodstock to jewellery. She recently acted in the widely publicised case Leslie Wexner and Copley Motorcars Corporation v Bonhams 1798 Ltd, Florence Swaters and Christopher Gardner, advising in relation to the purchase of a 1954 Ferrari 375-PLUS and ongoing disputes concerning title to the car.

Sam Obernik has carved her twenty five year path through creativity as an award winning artist, writer and producer. She has become more involved in copyright and IP because the foundations on which her career and that of every creator depends have become weakened in the digital era. As someone who wants to understand, get involved with and help fix the root causes of dysfunction, Sam became a legal mediator studying the language of identity and conflict; she was then invited to join the board of The Copyright Hub and has become much more involved in ways to improve the future for creators. For similar reasons she has also extended her professional skills and activities into the realm of coaching individuals in their personal strategy, performance and EQ.

Jon Sharples is a lawyer in the Intellectual Property group of international City law firm Simmons & Simmons, where he is Co-Chair of the firm’s Art Network. Through Simmons & Simmons he gives pro bono advice through the UAL ‘Own-it’ and ‘Artsmart ‘ programmes, as well as the ‘Law For The Arts’ Legal Advice Centre at Queen Mary University London. Jon recently curated the ‘Piercing the Veil’ exhibition, which examined obscuration and the role of the picture plane in contemporary art, showcasing emerging artists alongside work by established art world figures including Jenny Holzer, Gary Hume and Hurvin Anderson. In 2015, Jon presented ‘The Art Show’ on the Propeller TV Freeview and Sky channel 189.

Sascha Sippy is the scion of the illustrious Sippy Family of India and grandson to GP Sippy; one of the founders of modern Indian cinema. Since 1995 Sascha headed up Sippy Films for 2.5 years until his father Vijay Sippy (founder of commercial TV in India) tragically passed away. Sascha was then appointed Chief Executive by his grandfather GP SIPPY where he remained until 2008. Upon the demise of GP Sippy, Sascha was elected into the role of Chairman as per GP Sippy’s wishes and has remained since. Sascha made ‘Sholay’ the first of the Sippy brands to be protected. Mr. Sippy also took on an initiative to bring a change into the industry and its functionality and aided in a complete restructuring of the Indian film industry in 1999.

Vassiliki Tzanakou is an independent curator, art consultant and political scientist. After accomplishing a foundation course in Architecture, she studied Political Science at the University of Athens (UoA), followed by an MA from Goldsmiths College, UoL, in Political Communications. Whilst working as researcher at the Laboratory of Political Communications (UoA), she focused on the construction of identities, the societal consequences of Internet usage and the aesthetisation of power. Since 2013 she has curated exhibitions in Greece, the UK and for the 55th Venice Biennale and has written in publications covering themes of contemporary art, culture and Internet studies. Tzanakou is Director of ARTinTRA, a member of the Hellenic Political Science Association and of the International Biennial Association.

 

show less