Posted in the Detroit Free Press, Friday July 9, 2010 by David Ashenfelter, Free Press Staff Reporter:
A Chilean artist sued Park West Gallery on Thursday, saying the Southfield-based company is printing and selling copies of his work without his permission.
"From 1999 until today, every day, these forgeries have been sold behind my back by these unscrupulous entities." Alex Perez said after filing the suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit. "These orginizations have no shame."
Perez, an international artist who specializes in contemporary realist art, said he contracted in 1996 with Rami Rotkopf, a Ft. Lauderdale art dealer and founder of Smart Publishers of Fine Art, to promote and sell his artwork.
In the suit, Perez alleges Smart Publishers assigned his contract to Park West without permission, and Park West began reproducingand and selling his artwork at landbased and cruise ship auctions, in some cases with a forged signature.
Perez, in the suit, accuses both of copyright infringement.
"This is a totally ridiculous lawsuit," said Park West lawyer Rodger Young of Southfield. He said Park West won a defamation lawsuit in Florida against Perez about three years ago preventing him from saying anything adverse about the company.
Perez's lawyers, Donald Payton and Jonathan Schwartz of Farmington Hills, Want U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan to order the defendants to stop reproducing and selling Perez's artwork and to pay him for his work.
Seems Park West is in the news every other year for stuff like this.
A Chilean artist sued Park West Gallery on Thursday, saying the Southfield-based company is printing and selling copies of his work without his permission.
"From 1999 until today, every day, these forgeries have been sold behind my back by these unscrupulous entities." Alex Perez said after filing the suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit. "These orginizations have no shame."
Perez, an international artist who specializes in contemporary realist art, said he contracted in 1996 with Rami Rotkopf, a Ft. Lauderdale art dealer and founder of Smart Publishers of Fine Art, to promote and sell his artwork.
In the suit, Perez alleges Smart Publishers assigned his contract to Park West without permission, and Park West began reproducingand and selling his artwork at landbased and cruise ship auctions, in some cases with a forged signature.
Perez, in the suit, accuses both of copyright infringement.
"This is a totally ridiculous lawsuit," said Park West lawyer Rodger Young of Southfield. He said Park West won a defamation lawsuit in Florida against Perez about three years ago preventing him from saying anything adverse about the company.
Perez's lawyers, Donald Payton and Jonathan Schwartz of Farmington Hills, Want U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan to order the defendants to stop reproducing and selling Perez's artwork and to pay him for his work.
Seems Park West is in the news every other year for stuff like this.