Three Things for October 12
1. Putin gifted tractor for 70th birthday
On Friday, Oct. 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin received a tractor for his 70 birthday.
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus gifted Putin a gift certificate for this tractor, as they have been a large part of the Belarus industry for years.
Lukashenko told the Associated Press reporters that he uses a similar tractor model in his own garden.
Putin did not mention this gift on TV, yet discussed the need for settling conflicts between ex-Soviet nations.
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2. Andy Warhol’s silkscreens of Prince to see the Supreme Court
On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints of Prince will appear in a Supreme Court case.
Lynn Goldsmith, a famous photographer of rock stars, was commissioned to shoot a series of photos of Prince for Newsweek in 1981 at a concert. Goldsmith then invited Prince to her studio where she applied purple makeup to him, but Newsweek did not use this photo. Goldsmith kept these pictures for licensing or future publication.
Vanity Fair commissioned Andy Warhol three years later to do an illustration of Prince, using one of Goldsmith’s photos as reference. Goldsmith was paid $400 in licensing and promised its one time use in Vanity Fair. Warhol then made 16 silkscreens of Prince and copyrighted them.
In 2016, when Warhol died, Conde Nast, Vanity Fair’s parent company, paid tribute to Warhol using one of his silkscreens of Prince. Conde Nast paid the Warhol foundation $10,250 but Goldsmith received no payment.
The Warhol foundation argues that the work was “transformative” and therefore they do not owe Goldsmith money. Two lower courts have disagreed, A Federal District Court judge found the silkscreen to be “fair use,” but a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has disagreed.
The Supreme Court ruling will change how “fair use” is described and acted upon.
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3. Elon Musk to sell new perfume called ‘Burnt Hair’
Elon Musk launched a new product, perfume, called ‘Burnt Hair’ and sold 10,000 bottles earning a million dollars in a few hours.
The perfume itself costs $100 a bottle, shipping the first quarter of 2023.
"With a name like mine, getting into the fragrance business was inevitable – why did I even fight it for so long!?" Musk asked on Twitter.
This is one of a few of Musk’s miscellaneous products, including Tesla’s tequila brand in 2020.
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