Ravensburger wins legal dispute over Da Vinci puzzle against Italy!

Ravensburger wins legal dispute over Da Vinci puzzle against Italy!

Vienna, Österreich - Ravensburger, the renowned German puzzle manufacturer, has successfully established itself in a legal dispute against the Italian state, which affects the license fees for the use of a famous art motif by Leonardo da Vinci. A judgment by the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court decided that Ravensburger can use the motif of the Vitruvian person outside of Italy without having to pay global license fees. This marks a significant victory for the company, which had already launched the 1,000-part puzzle in 2009, assumed that the protection period of copyright had expired, reports vienna.at .

The dispute began in 2019, when the "Galleria dell’accademia di Venezia" warned Ravensburger and either called for the purchase stop of the puzzle or the payment of a license fee. The Italian Museum referred to the national "law to protect the cultural heritage" and obtained an injunction that was directed against the use of the work. Ravensburger initially stopped selling the puzzle, but moved to court to clarify the legal situation.

The Vitruvian person and their meaning

The puzzle shows the Vitruvian man, a drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490, which represents a naked man in different poses, surrounded by a square and a circle. This masterpiece is an important example of Leonardo's ability to present the proportions of the human body according to the principles of ancient architect Vitruvius. The text over the picture describes these proportions and reflects the architectural theory of Vitruvius, which between approx. 80 and 20 BC. BC lived and is considered one of the most important architects of his time. The drawing itself has a paper size of 34.4 cm × 25.5 cm and was carried out with spring and ink, supplemented by watercolor traces, as described in the detailed representation on wikipedia

After Leonardo's death, the drawing came to the collection of his student Francesco Melzi and received a well -documented provenance. The artwork has been located in the Galleria dell’accademia in Venice since 1822 and is rarely exhibited due to its high artistic quality to avoid fading by light. In 2022 there was a new push of the museum when Ravensburger sued again, this time before an Italian court that decided in favor of the museum and imposed a fine against the manufacturer. But a German court decided in 2024 in favor of Ravensburger, which led to a controversy about the applicability of the Italian cultural heritage outside of the national borders.

legal situation and copyright

The legal framework for works of art are complex and reflect the tensions between national laws and international copyright protection. Copyright protects works of art and their creators over a period of 70 years after the author's death. After this deadline, the works become community -free. In historical works of art such as the Vitruvian man, the question of copyright is of central importance. In the event of copyright infringement, artists can often occur civil and criminal law measures, whereby warnings that require compensation and injunctive relief are often occurring. The challenges for Ravensburger show how important clear regulations are in international art law and how cultural heritage can be legally protected, the information on Urheberrecht.de .

Although the judgment of the Higher Regional Court is not legally binding, a revision was not approved, which means that a non -admission complaint with the German Federal Court of Justice remains possible. This could bring the final legal clarity in this matter and has the potential to have far -reaching consequences for copyright and use of cultural products in a globalized world.