Civil Litigation against Mizuma Art Gallery
Civil Litigation against Mizuma Art Gallery
AI☆MADONNA Production, Inc.
KATO Ai, Managing Director
AI☆MADONNA (KATO Ai)
AI☆MADONNA Production, Inc. and AI☆MADONNA (KATO Ai) have filed a complaint to the Tokyo District Court against Mizuma Art Gallery Co., Ltd. which operates Mizuma Art Gallery, its managing director Shigetada Kurashige, and its director Sueo Mizuma.
Outline of Civil Litigation
・Court: Tokyo District Court
・ Filing Date: May 23, 2023
・ Plaintiffs: AI☆MADONNA Production, Inc. and AI☆MADONNA (KATO Ai)
・ Defendants: Mizuma Art Gallery Co., Ltd, Shigetada Kurashige, and Sueo Mizuma
・Case Number: 2023 (wa) No. 70289
・Case Name: Claim for Damages, etc.
Overview of the Plaintiffs’ Claims in the Complaint
Although the complaint includes various claims, the plaintiff’ s main claims are as follows:
Without any consultations with AI☆MADONNA Production, Inc. (the Plaintiff Company) on the selling price, the Defendant Mizuma Art Gallery Co., Ltd. (the Defendant Company) had sold 60 new works of the “Can’t recall her face” series to 4 purchasers before an upcoming exhibition of AI☆MADONNA. These 60 works were delivered by the Plaintiff Company to the Defendant Company from February 2021 to August 2021 as part of the works to be exhibited at AI☆MADONNA's solo exhibition scheduled for September 2022 at Mizuma Art Gallery.The Plaintiff Company argues that these sales by the Defendant Company constitute the breach of the consignment agreement between the Plaintiff Company and the Defendant Company.
In addition, AI☆MADONNA is seeking damages based on infringement of the right to make works public, that the Defendant Company’s selling 60 new works of the “Can’t recall her face” series, which had not yet been made public, without the consent of the Plaintiff Company and AI☆MADONNA, infringes on Ai Madonna's right to make the works public as author’ s moral right.
Furthermore, since the consignment agreement between the Plaintiff Company and the Defendant Company has already been terminated by the Plaintiff Company, we are requesting that Mizuma Art Gallery must remove the website listing AI☆MADONNA as one of their artists.
The Plaintiffs also seek damages against the Defendants Kurashige and Mizuma under Article 429(1) of the Companies Act, alleging that they neglected their duties regarding the Defendant Company’ s breach of the contract under the consignment agreement and its torts.
The 60 works of the “Can’t recall her face” series that are the subject of our claims in the instant lawsuit are as follows:
End.
