A pair of bills introduced in Congress this week will look to improve artist rights and benefits regarding their works, The Art Newspaper reports.  One bill will look to push for an artist’s resale royalty in the US, bringing the country up to par with current measures being undertaken in Europe, while the second offers a tax deduction of fair market value for artists donating works to museums. Both bills have been proposed before, but have yet to be passed. (more…)

A coalition of UK-based artists is leading a legal push against dealers who have refused to pay the resale royalties on artworks sold at auction since the British Government passed legislation mandating the payouts in 2006.“The honeymoon period is now over,” says artist Maggi Hambling, who is leading the charge against dealers. “The law changed in 2006 and there are people who are still trying to get away without paying. I’m not saying all dealers are crooks. But it’s high time that everyone was doing the right thing.” (more…)

The case for artist resale royalties in the United States is gaining strength in Congress, as the bill proposing the measure has earned six co-signers in the past weeks.  “We’re optimistic—the pace over the past month seems to have picked up,” says Ted Feder, the president of the Artists Rights Society.  (more…)

The upcoming vote on an artist resale royalty in the United States has major auction houses sending high-powered lobbyists to Washington, in an attempt to prevent the bill from passing.  The bill, which would pay artists a percentage of any auction sale, has many resellers nervous over the ostensible impact the additional charges would have on growing sale prices, while advocates are pushing the bill’s inclusion of artists in the creation of new wealth.  “To me, the bill is a question of fundamental fairness,” says Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who introduced the bill. (more…)

China is currently considering legislation that would guarantee artists royalty payments anytime their art is resold at auction.  These rights to a percentage of an artist’s resale price, referred to as “droit de suite” rights, are part of a new copyright law proposal that would bring China closer to European copyright standards, and is already causing fierce debate in the Chinese art market.  “Droit de suite may stifle the development of the market,” wrote Ji Tao, an auction industry expert at China Culture Daily, but: “From the point of view of the artists and authors, droit de suite is a good thing, because every transaction means gains.” (more…)