by Julia Griffin
“An Italian artist who attached a banana to a wall with duct tape and titled it Comedian—
reportedly selling several versions for more than $100,000—is facing legal action over whether he
copied another artist’s work.
Maurizio Cattelan is accused of copyright infringement by Joe Morford, from Glendale, California,
who says Comedian is just like his own duct-taped fruit, Banana & Orange, which he made two
decades earlier. …
[Cattelan] has reportedly argued that, unlike his own banana, the fruit in Banana & Orange is synthetic,
so Morford ‘cannot own the idea of a real banana duct-taped to a wall’.
But US district judge Robert N Scola Jr has ruled that Morford can proceed with his case …”
—The Guardian
An artist from Italy
Working in fruit
Was lately and bitterly
Served with a suit.
Joe Morford threw fits: “He
Has robbed me!” he cried;
A charge which Maurizi-
O strongly denied:
“Giò claims my idea.
And also my cash.
Macchè! Mamma mia!
Che brutto! How brash!
“The Muses, like manna,
Will fall where they fall,
As with this banana
I’ve taped to the wall.
“His charge is fantastic.
Too weak to refute:
His fruit’s made of plastic,
My fruit’s made of fruit.”
This answer was clobbered
(It’s often the way)
However, by Robert
N. Scola DJ,
Who found Joe’s banana
Distinctly infringed.
Now Joe cries “Hosanna!”
Maurizio’s singed.
Tonight he is feeling
A nasty hot wind;
He thinks of appealing,
But fears he’ll be skinned,
While Morford, in clover,
Drains victory’s cup:
“He planned a walkover;
That’s where he slipped up.”
