Artist Sues Over Omega Ad
Is the resemblance of a watch ad to a piece of art coincidence or copyright infringement? Saudi artist Ahmed Mater claims the latter in his suit against the Swatch Group which centers on a recent ad for the Omega Aqua Terra that he feels looks a bit too much like one of his works.
The piece of art in question is from Mater’s 2012 “Magnetism” series, which shows iron shavings surrounding a magnet. The artist’s copyright infringement suit filed in the Paris Grand Instance Court claims that he would not have given permission for his work to be used in the ad unless Omega had purchased two of his images for donation to a museum.
A representative for the Swatch Group gave a statement to the French newspaper Le Figaro saying that the company is not concerned about the suit.
