Denmark attacks Greenville landmark

The Wall Street Journal reports that the city of Greenville in Michigan’s Montcalm County is under attack by the Danes. No, not a literal attack but a legal one, aimed at a statue in that city that is based on the famous “Little Mermaid” statue in Copenhagen. The statue was installed as part of Greenville’s annual Danish festival, which celebrates the fact that the city was settled by the Danish, 15 years ago.

The problem is that this ode to the old country allegedly infringes the copyright of Danish artist Edvard Eriksen. In May, just as preparations for this year’s Danish-themed festivities were getting under way, the town got a letter from the Artists Rights Society — a New York-based organization that enforces copyrights on behalf of artists, including Andy Warhol and Picasso. The letter said that the statue is an “unauthorized reproduction” and had to come down. If not, the town would have to pay a licensing fee.

“Like I have nothing else to worry about, now I’ve got the art police after me out of New York,” says city manager George Bosanic, who received the letter.

Actually, the complaint originated from Denmark. The Artists Rights Society, which represents more than 50,000 artists, both living and dead, says it got word from its sister organization in that European country that descendants of Mr. Eriksen, who died in 1959, had heard about the Greenville statue and wanted action taken. Copyrights on such art works remain in force for 70 years after an artist’s death.

“If the statue starts getting used in a variety of towns, it sets a trend — and it diminishes its distinctiveness in its setting in Copenhagen,” says Theodore Feder, the society’s president.

The article lists half a dozen other cities that have similar homages to the Eriksen statue, but Greenville is so far the only one who has had legal action threatened over it. And the Greenville statue isn’t exactly a replica:

A plaque in front of the Greenville statue calls it a “replica” of the one in Denmark. Mr. Bosanic, the city manager, notes the statue isn’t an exact replica: At about 30 inches high, it’s half the size of the original and has a different face and other distinct features, including larger breasts. “We’ve gotten a lot of heat about that too,” he says.

The city says they’re thinking about selling “save the mermaid” buttons at this year’s Danish festival, which takes place in August, to pay for the licensing fee.