Visual Artists Rights Act

For other meanings of VARA see Vara (disambiguation)

The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA), 17 U.S.C. § 106A, is a United States law protecting artist rights.

VARA was the first federal Copyright legislation to grant protection to moral rights. Under VARA, works of art that meet its requirements afford their authors additional rights in the works, despite the ownership of the physical work itself. None of the requirements for protection, however, involve aesthetic taste or value.

While federal law had not acknowledged moral rights prior to this act, some state legislatures and judicial decisions created limited moral rights protection. The Berne Convention required protection of these rights by signatory states, and it was in response that the U.S. Congress passed the VARA.

Exclusive rights under VARA

VARA exclusively grants authors of works that fall under the protection of the Act the following rights

• right to claim authorship
• right to prevent the use of one's name on any work the author did not create
• right to prevent use of one's name on any work that has been distorted, mutliated, or modified in a way that would be prejudicial to the author's honor or reputation
• right to prevent distortion, mutilation, or modification that would prejudice the author's honor or reputation

Additionally, authors of works of "recognized stature" may prohibit intentional or grossly negligent destruction of a work. Exceptions to VARA require a waiver from the author in writing. To date, recognized stature has managed to elude a precise definition.

Duration In most instances, the rights granted under VARA persist for the life of the author.

Covered works

VARA provides its protection only to paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, still photographic images produced for exhibition only, and existing in single copies or in limited editions of 200 or fewer copies, signed by the artist.

Application and effect

VARA's reach is limited primarily by the scope of its protection -- works of visual art are narrowly defined -- however its effect is dramatic. Purchasers of art must obtain written waivers from the author if they wish to exercise any of the exclusive rights under VARA.

In a 2006 decision involving public sculptures that were removed from the park for which they were created, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that VARA does not protect location as a component of site-specific work. VARA covered works can be moved as long as the move does not constitute "destruction, distortion, or mutilation." See Phillips v. Pembroke Real Estate, Inc., 459 F.3d 128 (1st Cir. 2006).

References

1. Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990
2. Waiver of Moral Rights in Visual Artworks. U.S. Copyright Office. Retrieved 2005-07-01.
3. RayMing Chang, Revisiting the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990: A Follow-up Survey About Awareness and Waiver, 13 TEX. INTELL. PROP. L.J. 129 (2005): This article analyzes the history of VARA and presents empirical data about the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA) from an exhaustive survey that the author conducted in 2003.