Greetings,

From AI-generated art that can't be copyrighted to a con artist who swindled a rock legend, Issue 24 of Canvas is packed with stories at the cutting edge of art, law, and the future of creativity. Professor Clark D. Asay unpacks a surprising blind spot in the AI copyright wars — software — while Pedro Videla Hermansen (Berkeley Law '25) warns that AI's real threat to storytelling isn't replacement but standardization. Joanna Ong (Berkeley Law '25) reimagines fractional art ownership with a bold new model inspired by, of all things, HOAs.

Also on the blog: following our recent conversation with UBS on how the great wealth transfer is reshaping art collecting, read "What Happens When Nobody Wants the Art?"

In the news, the Supreme Court draws a firm line on AI authorship, looted Cambodian relics finally come home, and Frieze LA dazzles. This issue's featured artist is the trailblazing Lynn Hershman Leeson, whose five-decade career has redefined the relationship between art, technology, and identity.

Before you dive in, mark your calendars for what's ahead:

📅 Justice Unearthed — Tim Carpenter on The Grave Robber — Thursday, March 12, 2026. Learn more and register here>

📅 Fifth Annual Berkeley Art, Law, and Finance Symposium at SFMOMA — Wednesday, June 4, 2026. Learn more and register here>

Let's dive in!

Delia Violante

Founding Director of the Berkeley Art, Law, and Finance Project

Berkeley Center for Law and Business

Lynn Hershman Leeson and Hoffman Donahue Gallery - Seduction, 1985

Academic Corner



CLARK D. ASAY | BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, J. REUBEN CLARK LAW SCHOOL

In "Artificial Code," Professor Clark D. Asay argues that while AI copyright battles rage in music, journalism, and visual art, the software industry has stayed on the sidelines. The reason? Much AI-generated code may not qualify for copyright protection under current U.S. law — a gap with major implications for the industry. Read more>

Hot off the Blog

PEDRO ANDRES VIDELA HERMANSEN | BERKELEY LAW '25, JOHANSSON & LANGLOIS

In "The Silence AI Cannot Hear," Pedro Andrés Videla Hermansen argues that generative AI's real threat to storytelling isn't replacement — it's standardization. Drawing on a Chilean staging of Chekhov where actors shared the stage with their own digital avatars, he proposes a "conscious pact" between law, technology, and creative practice to protect what makes stories human. Read more>

JOANNA ONG | BERKELEY LAW '25

In "Novel Governing Documents for Fractional Art Investments," Joanna Ong examines fractional art ownership as the art market braces for a $124 trillion generational wealth transfer. Her boldest proposal: an "art owner's association" modeled on HOAs — a democratic structure that could sidestep SEC regulation entirely and open the door for lesser-known works. Read more>

PARIS QUETZAL SISTILLI | COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND SCIENCES PO PARIS

In "MUREM," Paris Quetzal Sistilli tells the story of a daughter who turned her mother's collection of traditional Mexican garments into a living museum — one that celebrates the textile traditions of Mexico's 68 Indigenous peoples while empowering local artisan women through workshops and entrepreneurship. Read more>

IN THE NEWS

No Copyright for AI Art

LAW360

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a computer scientist denied a copyright for AI-generated artwork, affirming the D.C. Circuit's position: only human-created works can be registered. Read more>

Rewriting the HEAR Act

HARVARD ART LAW REVIEW

A proposed amendment to the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act would strip courts of their equitable authority in Holocaust-era restitution claims. Harvard Art Law Review argues the move is unconstitutional. Read more>

When Packaging Is Art

YAHOO FINANCE

Logos, fonts, color combinations, illustrations — packaging art sits at the crossroads of trademark, copyright, and design law, making it one of the most legally exposed elements of any product. Read more>

The Con Artist Who Fooled a Rock Legend

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Thomas Doyle conned his way into brokering the sale of a 19th-century Courbet painting to Bruce Springsteen's longtime manager Jon Landau — then stole the proceeds. Federal prosecutors had him arrested months later. Read more>

Cambodia's Relics Return

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Dozens of statues and relics looted during Cambodia's civil strife — and displayed for years in a London townhouse — have been returned after more than five years of delays. Read more>

Nazi-Looted Books Returned

IDW

Goethe University Frankfurt has restituted volumes to the city's Jewish community after a systematic review of its collections for Nazi-looted property — a first for the institution. Read more>

Frieze LA Dazzles

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Frieze Los Angeles delivered one of its most impressive editions yet, while Post-Fair, now in its second year, is quietly becoming a highlight of the week with its curated lineup and intimate atmosphere. Read more>

150 Works by Women Artists Head to BAMPFA

ARTNEWS

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) will receive a bequest of over 150 modern and contemporary works by women artists from Berkeley-based collectors Penny Cooper and Rena Rosenwasser. Read more>

AR, VR, and the Law

SHEPPARD INSIGHTS

Augmented and virtual reality are reshaping how art is displayed, consumed, and sold. But legal frameworks built for physical works and the human eye are struggling to keep pace with the digital revolution. Read more>

UNESCO Site Hit in Iran

THE ART NEWSPAPER

Golestan Palace, Tehran's sole UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged as U.S. and Israeli forces intensified strikes against Iran. UNESCO condemned the destruction alongside other UN bodies. Read more>

SF Ballet Exits Kennedy Center

THE NEW YORK TIMES

The San Francisco Ballet has withdrawn from a five-day run at the Kennedy Center, the latest cancellation amid the Trump administration's takeover of the institution. Read more>

A Counter-Monument at SFMOMA

SFMOMA

Rose B. Simpson's Behold — two figures, parent and child, fused at the hip — confronts the colonial violence of California's Mission system and the displacement of Native peoples. The sculptures invoke a refusal to forget. Read more>

Meet the Artist

LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON

Over the last five decades, artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson has been internationally acclaimed for her art and films. Hershman Leeson is widely recognized for her innovative work investigating the relationship between humans and technology, identity, surveillance, and the use of media as a tool of empowerment against censorship and political repression. Lynn Hershman Leeson is a recipient of many awards including a Siggraph Lifetime Achievement Award, Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica, and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. In 2022, she was awarded a special mention from the Jury for her participation in the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. In 2023, Pratt Institute of Art in NY awarded her with an Honorary Doctorate. Creative Capital awarded her with their Distinguished Artist Award in 2023. SFMOMA acquired the museum's first NFT from Hershman Leeson in 2023. Her six feature films—Strange Culture, Teknolust, Conceiving Ada, !Women Art Revolution: A Secret History, Tania Libre, and The Electronic Diaries—are in worldwide distribution. Artwork by Lynn Hershman Leeson is featured in many public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Learn more>

Please note that some articles listed may be subject to a paywall.

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