4 March 2015Copyright

Mother Teresa painting removed over IP fears

A painting depicting the missionary Mother Teresa has been removed from a library in the US because of fears that it may infringe intellectual property.

Timothy Herbst, the first selectman (leader of the Town Hall) of Trumbull, Connecticut, ordered the painting to be removed from the town’s library after he was alerted that it could infringe rights protecting Mother Teresa’s image.

The painting, owned by Richard Resnick, shows Mother Teresa alongside other female campaigners behind the banner ‘Onward we March’ and holding placards with the words ‘Planned Parenthood’, ‘Sister of Mercy’ and ‘Mission of Charity’.

Herbst ordered the removal of the painting after people raised concerns about copyright and image rights, and after finding there was no written agreement between the library and Resnick, who donated it as well as 33 other works as part of the ‘Great Minds Collection’, to display it.

The first selectman said: “After learning that the Trumbull Library board did not have the proper written indemnification for the display of privately-owned artwork in the town’s library, and also being alerted to allegations of copyright infringement and unlawful use of Mother Teresa’s image, upon the advice of legal counsel, I can see no other respectful and responsible alternative than to temporarily suspend the display until the proper agreements and legal assurances are in place.”

But Resnick cast doubt on Herbst’s reasoning for the removal by suggesting it was not due to fears over IP infringement. In an interview with the local news publication, Trumbull Times, he said the removal was down to “ political pressures” from various religious groups.

Already registered?

Login to your account

To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.

Two Weeks Free Trial

For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk