American Bar Association – International Law Section:
Artists Dealing with MNCs, What to Know When Commercializing Artworks.
Lavinia Savini on 22 October 2026, will be speaking at a hybrid event organized by the Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association. The talk, “Artists Dealing with MNCs: What to Know When Commercializing Artworks”, will bring together perspectives from Italy and the United States on a question that matters more and more to creators: what happens when an artist’s work meets a multinational company?
I will be joined by Scott Alan Burroughs, Managing Partner of Doniger/Burroughs in New York, and the session will be moderated by Maria Goretti Tai, Co-Chair of the Committee.
Why this topic
Collaborations, licensing deals and commercial uses of artworks by large companies can open important opportunities for artists. They can also expose them to real risks, especially when rights are not properly secured and the contractual balance of power is uneven. Knowing the legal tools available before, during and after a negotiation can make the difference.
What we will discuss
– Copyright registration
– Contractual negotiation
– Copyright litigation strategies
– Calculation of damages
– Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Two cases, two legal systems
To ground the discussion in practice, we will look at two cases: Cati Cristina v. IKEA Italia Retail S.r.l. (Tribunal of Bologna, no. 2389/2026) and Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P., 595 U.S. 178 (2022). Reading them side by side offers a useful comparison between the Italian and the U.S. approach to the protection of creative works.
Event details
Date: 22 October 2026
Time: 17:00–18:00 CET / 11:00–12:00 EDT
Format: Hybrid
In person: Mediateca “Giuseppe Guglielmi”, Via Marsala 31, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Online: via Microsoft Teams
Whether you are an artist, a lawyer, a gallery professional or simply interested in the intersection of art and law, I would be delighted to see you there, in Bologna or online.
