You can see Bob Timberlake as an 86 -year -old artist in Lexington, North Carolina, only as a painter of rural imagery (House in the Woods, Hydrangeas in front of Hydrangeas, a icy ground surrounded by an icy ground, strawberry in a basket, house on a basket), but it is also a brand. His name is trademark, as is his signature and an image of a quill, to identify a variety of products that he has designed or with which he is associated with. Its name is connected to bedroom furniture, living room furniture, dining room furniture, kitchen furniture and wall decore (including frames, signs and plaque), plus mirrors and pillows, colon and perfumes, colon and perfumes, dinnerware, decorated pottery, stoneware and enamelware. Then there are roof fans, electric lighting fixtures, clothes, curtains and clothes, house paint and wooden stains. Even he has named his work and his name on the Bob Timberlake Baykin collection of whiskey and wine.
His son, Dan Timberlake, a lawyer and his father’s advisor, told Observer that “a dozen is close to the trademarks.”
Basquiet whiskey from Great Jones Distillery. Courtesy great jones distillery
Perhaps, we need to go back to a moment and ask – is there an asymmetry in Bob Timberlake art field, when he is not painting, gives a license to his name for a variety of home and bath products? There is no answer. There are quite some other artists with a “brand” in this space that push the products in a commercial context, such as the radiant babies of Keith Hinge on T-shirts, magnets, stationery and baseball cap. Several other artists, including Banki (who do not license), have traded their names for merchandising purposes by many other artists, Jean-Michel Basquiet (which is estated), Dell Chihul, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhole.
Perhaps, we need to retreat a moment to define the word. There are trademark words, logo or pictures – for example, Jolly Green Giant, Aunty Jemima, Betty Croker or Mickey Mouse – especially symbolizes, or refers to a company’s products and services.
Another often associates artists with copyright compared to trademarks, but they may have both. Some scars can be both copyright and trademarks where there is a separate design element. Both a thumbnail self-picture of Andy Warhole with its signature has been copyright and trademark, but some written words-Vahaol Factory and Silver Factory, for example-Caval trademark.
The difference that Bob Timberlake makes is not so much, but the fact that he licensed his name while living compared to other artists, giving his name license to his name, whose business feasibility was generated by his performances. In the last one year, the sisters of Jean-Michel Basquiet, who died in 1987, have licensed their names for the fragrant candles, flip-flops and the Basquiet whiskey of the Great Jones Distillery as well as $ 159 welcome mats from the rugable. Timberlake is not the only living artist whose name produces income.
New York -based expressionist painter Tom Christopher is another living artist who is currently licensing two companies (and name) to two companies: first, a dress -making firm that will include his work in the shirt (“” is “confusion by Tom Christopher” line “line), and second, Swiss watch company Ekpod. Christopher started his career as a commercial advertising artist before switching to fine arts, so Udham was never away from his consciousness.
Tom Christopher X Ecapod Watch Face. Courtesy Tom Christopher
Christopher said, “Merchas are where money is there,” before adding it to licensing deals “does not make so much”. “If I get a check, it’s surprising.” Nevertheless, he was running to design a BMW art car, including very little money but a lot of reputation. “I wanted to rub the elbow with Warhole and Jeff Cons,” the two first commissioned the art car by the German automaker BMW.
BMW (BMVY) has worked with twenty artists in the last several decades, including John Baldesari, Alexander Calder, Futchura 2000, David Hawkney, Jeff Cons, Jeff Cons, Roy Lichtanstein, Julie Mehrateu, Robert Robert Rautenberg, Frank Steel and Christians, According to Thomas Gormist, a spokesman of BMW, racing in Lemons. With koons, a version of ninety -nine M850i Xdrive Gran wells was built with an artist images on them, priced at $ 350,000 (about twice they cost without design), “and they were sold in just two weeks.” All the artists commissioned by BMW are paid as two undeclared cars as payment and for the edition models, they receive a small royalty based on the selling price for each vehicle to be sold. “It’s a shared risk,” Gire said.
The automekar works with the directors of the nearby museum to identify the artists to be commissioned to design an art car. In all these years, Gerst said, only Jasper Johns has rejected the opportunity. (“He was not interested in the idea of mobility.”)
Jeff Cons BMW. Courtesy BMW
Licensing deals, the successors of artists, or artist, earn money, even the number of salesable artifacts in a property decreases over time. A few years ago there was a dispute when Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s successor disagreeed with the creation of a Barbie doll with his equality, but the legal dispute product was less about the overall concept of product branding – a strange legacy for an artist who spied the communist ideals – but in its name and image in specific use of his name and image. The artist died, so who has specific rights to use the trademark was not clear.
The opportunity to expand the brand of an artist is easy for some artists and their agents. “We are contacted by many manufacturers about licensing products every day, but we are very selective in our approval,” said the actors of exhibitions and external affairs at Lily Leone, Calder Foundation, which acts to gather, display and interpret the art and archives of the artist Alexander Calder. “We have ever supported the product that we find educational and inspiring.” Artists and their agents also have to protect against illegitimate uses of their names and images. Leon and Foundation “try to do unauthorized products the best according to our ability, as they are an discontent for the work of the artist, an example of which is a market for Alexander Calder Mosa.”
Bob Timberlake has been subject to trademark cases when other manufacturers have demanded to stop them from trademarking a name that is close to him. Timberlake Cabinetry, a division of the American Woodmark Corporation, demanded to stop Bob Timberlake from entering similar products, which could compete in the market, and Timberland, Timberland, Timberland, Timberland, Outdoor Clothes, Shoes and Commandate, the artist also tried to block his name, even if both companies did not compete. “They both lost,” said Dan Timberland, but said that both the cases were priced between $ 250,000 and $ 300,000 to their father.
This is a horrific. When the artists consider licensing their brands, they should think very seriously about whether they are ready to go head-to-head with large corporations in court. Sometimes the threat to trivial cases can only be the main negative side of brand licensing for those artists who do not have a cultural capital
