Copyright Developments

Prometheus III Sculpture destroyed by Franconia Sculpture Park
Source: John Hock

In June 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota denied the Franconia Sculpture Park’s motion for partial summary judgment seeking to dismiss sculptor John Hock’s claim that the Sculpture Park violated the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (“VARA”) when it removed and destroyed Hock’s sculpture, Prometheus III. The court found material questions of fact existed as to whether the work was made for hire and whether the sculpture was “of recognized stature.”