Leads to cancellation of exhibit at museum

KOBE (Kyodo) — An exhibit of artworks caricaturing illegal copies of brand products has been canceled at a Kobe museum following a protest by French luxury brand company Louis Vuitton, which claimed the objects are made of materials that imitate those used for its bags, museum officials said Sunday. Discount Christian Louboutin

For the exhibition focusing the counterfeit nature of modern society, Mitsuhiro Okamoto, a 42-year-old artist in Kyoto, created objects in the shape of grasshoppers because the Japanese word for the insect, “batta,” is also used in the word for fake products, “batta-mon.”

Okamoto used materials on which the logos and signature patterns of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and other brand-name retailers are printed. Tiffany Jewellery

Nine such objects had been on display at Kobe Fashion Museum in Hyogo Prefecture since April 15 but the museum operator removed them on May 7 after Louis Vuitton, in a letter dated May 6, requested that the exhibition be halted, saying the objects were made of materials used for illegal copies and will hurt the image of the brand. links of london bracelet

Okamoto explained that his artworks merely depict a current social phenomenon and do not condone the existence of illegal copies. True Religion bags

He refrained from revealing whether the materials used in the objects in fact came from illegal copies, saying, “That should be something people who saw the objects should decide. That’s part of the theme in my artwork.”

Meanwhile, Yoji Kubori, an official at the museum, said the institution did not think the exhibition itself would violate copyrights, but did not want to continue with it if it might lead to conflict with a corporation.