Louis Vuitton Sued Over Murakami Prints

[Mulboyne]

L.A. Times: Lawsuit over Murakami-Louis Vuitton prints
A luxury boutique in the middle of an art exhibition was supposed to be controversial -- but not a legal matter. The temporary retail space allowed in October by the Museum of Contemporary Art has become the center of litigation, though. A class action suit brought Monday by an L.A. collector alleges that Louis Vuitton failed to take the law into account when selling limited-edition prints by Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami at his show at the museum's Geffen Contemporary. Since 1970, California law has required dealers who sell limited-edition prints of artists' work to disclose an array of information supporting the prints' authenticity. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by lead plaintiff Clint Arthur says that because Louis Vuitton North America failed to provide sufficient information, 500 Murakami prints that were on sale for an average of $8,000 lacked the ironclad certification required, making them less valuable for resale...The California law allows triple damages for violations, exposing Louis Vuitton to a potential multimillion-dollar liability...more...