The Legality Of Street Art

1. { The Legality of
Street Art

2.  A well know artist called Banksy painted a mural
on the side of an amusement arcade which
caused a legal dispute.
 It was the first case in which ownership of street
art was considered and it also pointed out the
landlord and tenant law.
 A public event was Organized by the creative
foundation as part of rejuvenating the town so
Banksy painted a mural on a wall then the tenant
of the property organized the mural to be cut out
and sold in the US without the landlords
permission.
 Overall as soon as an artist paints on someone
else's property it then becomes theirs to own.
Who Owns Street Art

3.  An illegal issue such as damage to property is
considered as criminal damage. To prove that
there is criminal damage you must prove that
someone has destroyed or damaged the
property with intentions to destroy or wreck it.
Even if the paint can be removed and the
overall value of the wall has increased it is still
classed as damage to the wall.
Illegal Issues

4.  If someone is caught applying Street art without permission
from the owner they can be arrested and charged under the
Criminal Damage Act and if they are found guilty they can
be fined/imprisoned or both. They can be fined up to £5,000
or they can be given a community service order instead of a
fine for young offenders.
 If the damage is over £5,000 then the case is referred to the
crown court.
Criminal Damage Act

5.  There are local councils in the UK that provide
spaces and walls for artists to produce their
artwork legally.
 Temporary graffiti such as ‘Tape Graffiti’ is legal
but in some cases you could be charged with
littering.
Legal Issues

6. Is Sellotape Graffiti Legal?
• An Artist who goes by the name Buff Diss uses
sellotape instead of spray paint so that he can
graffiti in a legal, easier and quicker way.
• Sellotape graffiti is legal as paint is not used, the
entire process uses different coloured sellotape.
• The sellotape is temporary so if the authorities
question him it can easily be taken down.

7.  An artist called Ben Wilson has turned
hundreds of chewing gum blobs on the streets
of London into canvases and created mini
pieces of Art.
 This is legal as its other peoples litter that he is
drawing on, he uses pens, paint and brushes to
create these masterpieces.
Is Chewing Gum Art
Legal?