Russian police are searching for more than 48,000 stolen works of art. “The missing pieces of artwork include pictures, icons, sculptures, metalwork, gems, military decorations, vintage armor, and rare books. Some of them were stolen from museums and churches, but most from private houses. The biggest challenge is to track down pieces that have been smuggled out of the country, investigators said.”
Tag: 09.20.05
Milwaukee Art Dealer Accuse Of Fraud
“Once-eminent Milwaukee art dealer Michael H. Lord has been charged with stealing about $180,000 from an old friend by buying artwork on the friend’s behalf and then selling it to Major League Baseball commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig and his wife, and keeping the proceeds.”
Authors Sue Google Over Book Copying
The 8000-member Authors Guild has sued Google to block it from copying books in big libraries. “The lawsuit asked the court to block Google from copying the books so the authors would not suffer irreparable harm by being deprived of the right to control reproduction of their works. It sought class-action status on behalf of anyone or any entity with a copyright to a literary work at the University of Michigan library.”
Jobs: Resist Those Greedy Recording Companies
Apple chief Steve Jobs says recording companies are getting greedy and want to raise the price of online music. “We’re trying to compete with piracy, we’re trying to pull people away from piracy and say ‘you can buy these songs legally for a fair price’. But if the price goes up a lot, they’ll go back to piracy. Then everybody loses.”
Another 25 Geniuses
Among this year’s 25 MacArthur Genius awardees is conjductor Marin Alsop. “The 11 women and 14 men selected for their creativity and originality range in age from 33 to 66 and also include a violinmaker, a molecular biologist, a sculptor and a laser physicist. All the winners, known as fellows, receive annual checks for $100,000 for the next five years, no strings attached.”