US Supreme Court to hear Andy Warhol's 'Portraits of Prince' copyright infringement case

The Supreme Court in the US will be hearing a copyright infringement case that involves two pop culture icons -- visual artist Andy Warhol and iconic musician Prince. The case revolves around Andy Warhol's signature silkscreen prints of Prince, which photographer Lynn Goldsmith claimed was an imitation of a photograph she took in 1981 when Prince was still an upcoming name.

Andy Warhol is credited to be the legendary artist who said that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, many have indicated that Warhol's portraits of Prince were about to get their 15 minutes of fame during the Supreme Court argument.

Per reports, Vanity Fair had used a licensed version of Goldsmith's photograph of Prince for the November 1984 cover, which Andy Warhol designed. However, Warhol had created other arrangements of the picture, which Goldsmith was unaware of. These illustrations came to light after Vanity used it for a tribute cover after Prince passed away in 2016, which, the photographer claimed, was an infringement of her work.




Andy Warhol passed away in 1987, and the Andy Warhol Foundation holds the copyright to all his works. Vanity secured permission from the foundation to use Prince's portrait for the tribute edition. The oral arguments for the case are scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

FAQs

1. Who took Prince's photograph in contention in the court case?
   Noted photographer Lynn Goldsmith took the picture in 1981.
2. When did Vanity Fair use the portraits?
   Vanity Fair first used a licensed version of Prince's photograph in its November 1984 edition and then in 2016 as a tribute to the Prince after he passed away.