New forms of art and the rapid process of digitalization not only shape our understanding of art itself, but also create new legal challenges on a daily basis. Generations of artists had to face these problems either on their own or through costly cooperation with lawyers.
The Art Law Clinic is eager to change that for students in the Academy of Fine Arts Münster. The project is a cooperation between the Academy of Fine Arts Münster and the Institute of Information, Telecommunication and Media law, civil law department.
The basic idea of a Law Clinic comes from the US and has already been established in some places, but having an institution especially for legal queries concerning art is a worldwide singularity. Its motto is: “Law students for art students”. Art students can seek the help of law students in senior classes to help them judge their basic legal problems, which occur during their academic studies. The service is entirely free for students in the Academy of Fine Arts Münster.
Additionally, a legal guideline will be provided, giving students an entry point and further information on the topic of art law. By combining the inherently different but closely connected topics of law and art, the project will increase the interdisciplinary and mutual understanding between law students and art students and their respective subjects.
The Art Law Clinic is located in the Institute of Information, Telecommunication and Media law facilities. Three employees are currently working on the project, two coming from the Academy of Fine Arts Münster, and one from the Institute of Information, Telecommunication and Media law. The board of advisors consists of Prof. Dr. Nina Gerlach (Academy of Fine Arts Münster) and Mr. Norbert Burke (Legal Office HüttenbrinkPartner).
Art Law Clinic will publicly launch on February 26th, 2018 at 9 am in the lecture hall of Academy of Fine Arts Münster as part of the workshop “art clinic”.
The Art Law Clinic is located in the Institute of Information, Telecommunication and Media law, room 120.215 (Leonardo-Campus 9, 48149 Münster), on Wednesday between 10 and 12 am or on an alternative date if agreed, via mail (art-law-clinic@listserv.uni-muenster.de) and via telephone (+49 (0) 251 8338624.
News and further information will be released here.
Liability notice
All legal advice provided by the Art Law Clinic is neither by lawyers nor other persons with the qualifications of a lawyer. All participating students aim to give a comprehensive legal evaluation on the basis of material and information known and available to them.
To ensure quality, employees can always consult the responsible professor and the advisory lawyer and they must report to them regularly. However we cannot assume any liability or guarantee for the accuracy, completeness or legitimacy of any given advice and therefore limit liability to intent and gross negligence, apart from violation of cardinal obligations and injury to life, limb or health. Given advice shall be applied to the standard of skills and knowledge of a student, not the legal diligence of a lawyer. The Art Law Clinic is under no obligation for its consultancy to bring about any specific success. We do however give a reasoned opinion to legal questions of yours in order to support you in your decision making.
More complicated legal questions will not be answered by the Art Law Clinic itself, but rather by specialized lawyers in consultation with the representatives of the Art Law Clinic.