Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
A while ago, Vivian Maier Estate entered a complicated legal battle against the owners of the photographer’s work. This time, they are filing a claim against Jeffrey Goldstein, one of the collectors who owns a part of Maier’s collection.
The estate is alleging copyright infringement: unauthorized copying, exhibition and print sales of the photographer’s work. In addition, they are claiming trademark infringement, alleging that Goldstein is profiting illegally from the estate’s trademark.
Ten years ago, the name Vivian Maier wouldn’t ring a bell in anyones’ mind. Today, the name Vivian Maier is almost as well known as some of the pioneers of photography.
This all changed when a box of negatives captured by the unknown street photographer were found in 2007. Since then, much fanfare has been made and, naturally, a documentary into the life of Maier has been produced.[Read More…]
Following the controversy that surfaced over the summer, one of the major Vivian Maier collectors has sold his entire inventory of Vivian Maier negatives to the Stephen Bulger Gallery, in Toronto. During a recent interview, Goldstein told Hyperallergic that he spoke with an Asian buyer who was interested in purchasing his collection of Maeir negatives “for an enormous amount” of money, but Goldstein turned the buyers away, opting instead to complete a transaction with the gallery. While the amount of money paid by the gallery for the negatives remains undisclosed, Goldstein called the gallery “it’s perfect home” in part because Goldstein had collaborated with them in the past for a show of Maier’s photographs.
A state public administrator’s office in Chicago, Illinois has issued letters to several individuals in possession of Vivian Maier photographs and negatives, informing them of possible lawsuits they could be facing over any money they earned from selling Maier’s work. Among the recipients of the letter were several galleries and John Maloof, an individual who owns a lionshare of original Maier works with a collection of negatives in the tens of thousands, which he bought for $400.
When Maloof acquired the negatives in 2007, he hired a genealogist to help track down any heirs of the mysterious photographer. He was able to locate Sylvain Jaussaud, whom was considered by experts to be Maeir’s closest living heir as a first cousin once removed. Maloof and Jaussaud reached an undisclosed agreement in which Maloof would assume the rights to the negatives. Maloof then filed an application to register his copyright, which is currently still pending one year after being filed.[Read More…]
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
His videos have over a hundred million views, have been extensively published by news outlets, and has even received recognition from a few film festivals, such as International Ocean Festival
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