FLORENCE, ITALY – A court in Florence has banned the unlicensed commercial use of images of the Michelangelo’s David.
The ban, issued on Thursday, aims to stop scalpers overcharging tourists for tickets to Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, which counts the Renaissance masterpiece as its best-known attraction.
The Europe-wide ban applies to anyone seeking to use David’s image for money-making purposes without permission from the Galleria dell’Accademia, which holds licensing rights to the statue’s image.
«Florence’s image must not be commercially exploited without limits or rules,» said the city’s mayor, Dario Nardella.
«It’s a precedent and a model – said the museum’s director, Cecilie Hollberg -. Many other museums that are also victims of the plague of overpriced ticket selling can now take this legal route, because the law will triumph over what is effectively a scam for visitors.»