British street artist Banksy has asked his followers to rob a Guess clothing store that illegally appropriates his works.
Banksy calls on his followers to take action. This Friday, November 18, the British street artist invited people who follow him on his Instagram account to rob a shop that used one of his works without his prior consent.
“For shoplifters. Meet at the Guess store on Regent Street. They used my work without asking my permission. Why would it be wrong for you to do the same with their clothes?”, she captioned the photo. The American clothing brand has announced a new collection featuring graffiti by Banksy.
Fearing an overflow, the clothing store was closed to the public. Security guards have even been hired to prevent any attempted theft and damage to the facade of the establishment. Store staff declined to speak to British media.
Liz Ward, copyright lawyer and founder of Virtuoso Legal, told the BBC that Guess “appears to have legitimately bought Banksy’s work through a third party, namely Brandalised, who claim to have the right to commercialize and use Banksy’s work on products”.
