№ 3 / 2025
ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744
PDF (Ukrainian)DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/32025.338625
Submitted 2025-07-30
Accepted 2025-08-13
Published 2025-09-15
The resale right in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union
Olena Starchenko
Ph.D. (Law),
Researcher of the Copyright and Related Rights Department of the Intellectual Property Scientific Research Institute of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3252-4338
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the interpretation of the provisions of Directive 2001/84/EC of 27 September 2001 on the resale right for the benefit of the author of an original work of art. To achieve the objectives of the article, the content of the following judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union has been examined: Fundación Gala-Salvador Dalí (C-518/08, 2010) and Christie’s France SNC v Syndicat national des antiquaires (C-41/14, 2015). The study examines the main trends in harmonising the mechanisms for applying the resale right within the European legal space. Particular attention is paid to the concept of “distorting effect” as understood in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the context of the resale right. Conclusions are drawn regarding the main directions of unifying the procedure for exercising the resale right in the European Union. It is established that the harmonisation mechanism under study is aimed at ensuring broad legal opportunities within national legal systems for developing local models for the implementation of the resale right. It is also noted that harmonisation of resale right legislation is limited to unifying provisions of national laws that have a direct and immediate effect on the functioning of the art market. Based on the analysis of the Court of Justice’s rulings, the article concludes that determining the specific circle of persons who inherit the resale right, or the persons responsible for paying royalties, remains within the competence of the legislator in each Member State and, according to the Court’s case law, does not have a direct impact on the functioning of the art market.
The incorporation of the resale right into the national legislation of EU Member States plays a fundamentally important role in ensuring proper conditions for the protection of the economic rights of authors of artistic works and in establishing fair competition within the art market. The resale right serves as a tool for maintaining a balance between the rights of artists across different jurisdictions within the EU, and, as a result, contributes to the creation of an effective mechanism for preventing infringements and avoiding unfair competition.
Keywords: resale right, Court of Justice, Directive 2001/84/EC, work of art
References
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