Law, crime and regulation

The Mayor of London has confirmed the Met’s Art and Antiques Unit will re-form and will be led by a new head to take office this month.

Italy has approved new laws relaxing the country’s art export regulations.

Christie’s sale of an ancient marble idol has created an art world battleground between Turkey and the saleroom, testing ownership laws...

The reopening of the Metropolitan Police’s Arts and Antiques Unit has been delayed until later this year, ATG has learned. However, the force has denied reports it is to permanently close.

Artist’s Resale Right, the royalty payable by a buyer to an artist or an artist’s estate for a painting resold for €1000 or more, is likely to be adopted by the UK along with other EU laws after Brexit.

Christie’s has said Turkey’s claim to own an ancient Anatolian idol that has been on American soil for over half a century sets “a disastrous precedent for collectors, museums and the art market”.

For the first time eBay is applying VAT to the fees of its business sellers.

The new Criminal Finances Act, which is expected to come into force in September, gives police the power to seize art, antiques and jewellery in the same way as if it was cash.

Dealers and auctioneers are again being targeted by scam guides that seek to extort large sums of money in return for inclusion in worthless trade listings.

A lawsuit filed against Christie’s highlights the legal questions over when the legal title of a work transfers, writes Milton Silverman.