Artwork “Battamon” Causes Protest
This is a recent story related to intellectual property. An artwork exhibited at the Kobe Fashion Museum caused protest from a famous brand manufacturer. In the end, the artwork was removed from the exhibition.
The artwork was a stuffed toy in a shape of a grasshopper, made with fabrics used for the products of the famous brand manufacturer. It was called “battamon.”
In Japanese, batta of “battamon” means to sell at a dumping price. Therefore, “battamon” signifies a dumped product or pirated goods. “Batta” is a homonym that also refers to the insect, grasshopper.
The artist apparently wanted to include both meanings in the artwork as a metaphor for the modern society and counterfeit goods. Although art is not my field, it might be an extraordinary thing to create an artwork out of such a seemingly obvious idea.
Although the artwork did not infringe the trademark right, it might have damaged the brand image. The famous brand manufacturer maintained the good reputation that they have built up over the years. Interesting how art and intellectual property can crash sometimes.