Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
'lth Ckcuit
RECEIVED LMf3
No. 08-3701 & 08-3712
.111M 1 2 ")009
GiNO J. At?NELLO
IN THE CLE~K
Chapman Kelley,
Plaintiff - Appellant, Cross-Appellee,
v.
Chicago Park District,
Defendant - Appellee, Cross-Appellant.
Alex L. Karan
Micah E. Marcus
Hector Bove
KIRKLND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 862-2000
Circuit Rule 34(f). The arguments of counsel at oral argument would advance the
decisional process of determining whether the District Court erred in not extending
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT.................................................. i
TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................. ii
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES...................................................................................... iv
ARGUMENT .................................................................................................................5
11
II. THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO CALCULATE
DAMAGES BASED ON UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE ................................23
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................28
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE..................................................................................33
ii
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page
CASES
Letter Edged in Black Press, Inc. V. Pub. Bldg. Comm 'n of Chi.,
320 F. Supp. 1303 (N.D. IlL. 1970).....................................................................11
Lott V. Levitt,
556 F.3d 564 (7th Cir. 2009) ...............................................................................8
Martin V. City of Indianapolis,
192 F.3d 608 (7th Cir. 1999) .............................................................................23
iv
Mazer v. Stein,
347 U.S. 201 (1954)............................................................................................ 16
Midway Mfg. Co. v. Artic Int'l, Inc.,
547 F.Supp. 999 (N.D. IlL. 1982) .......................................................................11
Singleton v. Wulff,
428 U.S. 106 (1976).........................................,....................................................6
Taylor v. Chi. Park Dist.,
No. 91 C 2380,1991 WL 111154, (N.D. IlL. June 17, 1991) .............................22
Thomason v. Aetna Life Ins. Co.,
9 F.3d 645 (7th Cir. 1993) .................................................................................22
Twisdale v. Snow,
325 F.3d 950 (7th Cir. 2003) ...............................................................................6
U.S. v. Berkowitz,
927 F.2d 1376 (7th Cir. 1991) ...........................................................................10
U.S. v. Windom,
19 F.3d 1190 (7th Cir. 1994) .............................................................................10
Washington Courte Condo. Assoc.-Four v. Washington-Golf Corp.,
643 N.E.2d 199 (IlL. App. Ct. 1994) ...................................................................25
v
STATUTES
17 U.S.C. § 106(A)(e)(1)..........................................................................................22,23
17 U.S.C. § 106A...........................................................................................................22
70 ILCS 1505/17 ... ...... ........ ................................... ................ .......... ............ ... ...... ........27
70 ILCS 1505/23.... ........... .................. ................... ................. .... .... .................. ............27
OTHER AUTHORITIES
The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990: American Artists Burned Again,
17 Cardozo L. Rev. 373 (1995)...........................................................................22
vi
SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT
)
There are three central issues of dispute before the Court. Two are raised by
Kelley: (i) whether the Chicago Park District violated VARA when it mutilated
Wildflower Works; and (ii) whether the District Court erred by failing to award
damages though finding the Chicago Park District liable for breach of contract. The
third, raised by the Chicago Park District, is whether the District Court erred in
presented to the Court establish that he has prevailed on all these issues.
VARA
The District Court's reliance on Phillips in denying Kelley relief from the
Chicago Park District's destruction of Wildflower Works was in error. In his opening
brief, Kelley demonstrated beyond contention that V ARA protects site-specific art
from the type of mutilation at issue in this case by proving that the First Circuit
erred in its cursory conclusion that VARA left site-specific art with no protection.
The Chicago Park District, in its response, does not dispute Kelley's conclusion and
does not provide any substantive response to Kelley's analysis of Phillips. Instead,
the Chicago Park District resorts to unfounded pleas of waiver, arguments that turn
well established copyright law on its head, and a completely inapposite invocation of
VARA's "Building Waiver Exception." Each of these arguments lacks merit and
should be rejected by this Court.
1
First, the Chicago Park District's argument-that this Court cannot consider
the purely legal issue of whether VARA protects site-specific art from mutilation
because Kelley failed to challenge the First Circuit's Phillips Decision before the
District Court-lacks merit. This Court has absolute discretion to resolve this
important issue oflaw. And, under the present facts, where Kelley has not engaged
argument at this stage, this Court should unquestionably exercise its discretion to
do so.
The Chicago Park District raises three arguments in this regard, contending that:
(i) Wildflower Works is not original; (ii) Wildflower Works is not fixed; and
(iii) systems are not copyrightable. Each of these arguments is erroneous. Kelley's
of expression and easily meets the low threshold for originality set by the Supreme
Court in Feist Publ'ns, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Servo Co., 499 U.S. 340, 345 (1991).
Exception only applies to works of art that have been physically incorporated or
2
built into a building and where the removal of such art would result in the art's
into any building and that Wildflower Works could have been removed without
suffering destruction. Simply, the fact that Wildflower Works was situated in dirt
that happened to be several feet above an underground structure does not strip
Finally, the Chicago Park District completely fails in its attempt to show
District in 1988. Kelley did no such thing. Kelley's VARA rights did not come into
existence until 1990, when VARA was passed. As a matter of law, Kelley could not
have expressly waived his rights before even knowing of their existence. Nor is
there any other basis for finding that Kelley waived his V ARA rights. He did not.
contract with Kelley. Kelley was entitled to ninety days written notice to provide
him a reasonable opportunity to remove Wildflower Works from Grant Park. The
Chicago Park District proceeded to destroy his life's greatest work without giving
him any formal notice, and only a week after informally letting him know that the
3
However, after finding a clear breach of Kelley's contractual rights, the
District Court erroneously refused to award any damages. The District Court
premised its decision in this regard on a mistaken legal notion concerning which
party bore the burden of proving what damages the plaintiff could have mitigated.
That burden lay on the Chicago Park District, not Chapman Kelley. Indeed, Kelley
that regard, the Chicago Park District's failure to present any evidence of Kelley's
alleged saved costs by virtue of destruction of the flowers should be held against the
The District Court Did Not Err In Finding That The City Breached Its
Contract
The sole basis of the Chicago Park District's appeal of the District Court's
Burroughs did not have the authority to bind the Chicago Park District because she
lacked authority under the relevant municipal code. However, the District Court
correctly determined that Margaret Burroughs had the requisite authority. A plain
her position as Chicago Park District Commissioner, had the authority to bind the
4
ARGUMENT
I. WILDFLOWER WORKS is PROTECTED BY VARA
Wildflower Works is a work of visual art subject to protection by VARA. The
conclusion. As an initial matter, the Chicago Park District does not contest the
District Court's finding that Wildflower Works is a work of visual art for purposes of
VARA, thus conceding the point. Moreover, the Chicago Park District does not
actually dispute that VARA protects site-specific art from the type of mutilation at
issue in this case. Rather, in attempting to explain why Wildflower Works is not
entitled to protection under VARA, the Chicago Park District poses four flawed
arguments: (1) Kelley has waived his right to challenge the District Court's
copyright protection; (3) the location of Wildflower Works, above the Monroe Street
garage, renders it unprotected; and (4) a permit issued prior to the existence of
VARA constituted a waiver of Kelley's rights. None of these arguments comes close
to refuting what Chapman Kelley has clearly shown: that the Chicago Park District
violated Chapman Kelley's VARA rights when it mutilated the most important work
5
(Opposition Br. of Chicago Park District at 13) is ill-founded. The Chicago Park
District cannot dispute that "(t)he matter of what questions may be taken up and
resolved for the first time on appeal is one left primarily to the discretion of the
200 F.3d 522, 527 (7th Cir. 1999) (citing Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 121
opportunity to brief the question and thus wil not be surprised if it is resolved, this
Circuit has exercised discretion in favor of resolving the question.I Republic Tobacco
Co. v. N. Atl. Trading Co., 481 F.3d 442, 447 n.3 (7th Cir. 2007) (resolving question
Detrex Corp., 2 F.3d 746,749-50 (7th Cir. 1993) (resolving question of statutory
interpretation); cf. Twisdale V. Snow, 325 F.3d 950, 952 (7th Cir. 2003) (resolving
legal issue that was alternative ground for upholding district court judgment, even
precedent, and the Court should resolve a legal question that is important not only
to Chapman Kelley, but also to artists all across the United States. Indeed, "(t)here
wil be no better time to resolve the issue than now." Amcast Indus. Corp., 2 F.3d at
750. It is beyond question that Chapman Kelley's argument that VARA rights exist
1 Resolving this issue on appeal does not implicate concerns for judicial economy. "It is
unrealistic to think that if (appellant) had made the argument to the district court and
prevailed, there would have been no appeaL. The appeal would just have been filed by
(appellee) rather than (appellant)." Amcast Indus. Corp.v. Detrex Corp., 2 F.3d 746,750
(7th Cir. 1993).
6
for the author of a site-specific artwork is a purely legal argument of statutory
district judge's view, while it would no doubt be interesting, could have no effect on
(this Court's) review, which is plenary on matters oflaw." Neidert, 200 F.3d at 528.
Moreover, the Chicago Park District cannot claim surprise when this Court resolves
the VARA interpretation question. Chicago Park District's own brief states that the
District Court "repeatedly raised" the Phillips v. Pembroke Real Estate, Inc., 459
F.3d 128, 139 (1st Cir. 2006), VARA statutory interpretation argument, including in
both a motion to dismiss and post-trial briefing. (Opposition Br. of Appellee at 12.)
The Chicago Park District also had the opportunity to fully brief the issue on appeal
in its response to Kelley's brief. Indeed, it is telling, but not surprising, that the
Chicago Park District chose not to address the substance of any of the arguments
raised by Chapman Kelley regarding the application of V ARA to site-specific art:2
2 The Chicago Park District did, however, assert that Chapman Kelley's "claim may well
be the worst case scenario of the concern voiced by the Phillips court" because a
conclusion that VARA protects the Wildflower Works "could dramatically affect real
property interests and laws." (Opp'n Br. of Chicago Park District at 13-14.) This
argument, however, addresses a notion of V ARA that Chapman Kelley does not
advance. As Chapman Kelley made clear in his opening brief, Chapman Kelley does
not argue that the relocation or removal of site-specific art (and resulting conceptual
destruction) violates V ARA. While that may be an interesting legal issue, it is not one
relevant to the Chicago Park District's conduct in this case. The issue in this case is
not "conceptual damage" resulting from the relocation of a site-specific work of art. The
Chicago Park District did not decide to remove the Wildflower Works from its location
after giving Chapman Kelley adequate notice and an opportunity to either advocate for
a change of the Chicago Park District plans for removal or to remove the Wildflower
Works himself. Instead, the Chicago Park District chose to mutilate the Wildfower
Works in the very location where it had existed for more than 20 years without giving
Chapman Kelley anything resembling adequate notice. What the Chicago Park District
actually did has nothing to do with whether the Wildflower Works is site-specific.
7
that VARA protects site-specific art from the kind of mutilation that is at issue in
The Chicago Park District's reliance on Lott v. Levitt, 556 F.3d 564, 568 (7th
Cir. 2009) is entirely misplaced. (Opp'n Br. of Chicago Park District at 13.) Lott
arguments. The appellant explicitly relied on Illinois law at triaL. ¡d. After losing at
trial, the appellant argued on appeal that Virginia law should be applied. ¡d. This
District at 13.) Kelley's arguments that Wildflower Works is not site-specific art as
contemplated by Phillips, and that V ARA protects site-specific art, are not
inconsistent. To the contrary, Kelley has consistently argued that Phillips does not
preclude him from relief under V ARA and Kelley derived no advantage from relying
In sum, the question oflaw before this Court, whether VARA was intended to
protect all forms of visual art, including site-specific art, is an important question
with widespread ramifications for the art world that should be resolved by this
Court. The Chicago Park District's ill-founded waiver argument should be rejected
and the Court should rule on the merits of the action before it.
8
authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression" and is therefore copyrightable
as a painting or sculpture under the Copyright Act. 17 U.S.C. § 102(a). The Chicago
Wildflower Works is not "fixed"; and (iii) vegetative management systems are not
First, there was clear and ample evidence provided at trial concerning the
original and creative aspects of Wildflower Works. Indeed, the threshold set by the
Supreme Court regarding originality is very low. Second, in its entirety, Wildflower
Finally, the Chicago Park District's "system" argument strains credulity. Kelley
does not argue, nor does he need to, that the vegetative management system
system, but the work of visual art it supports-his Wildflower Works creation. The
Chicago Park District's vegetative system copyright argument is simply beside the
concluding that there was nothing "inherently original about Wildflower Works."
9
by the Copyright Act. Feist Publ'ns, Inc., 499 U.S. at 345 (holding threshold for
creativity is "extremely low" and hence "(t)he vast majority of works make the grade
quite easily, as they possess some creative spark."); see also JeW Inus., Inc. v.
Novelty, Inc., 482 F.3d 910, 914 (7th Cir. 2007) (holding that copyright protection
simply requires only a minimal degree of creativity); Piuot Point Int'l, Inc. v.
Charlene Prods., Inc., 372 F.3d 913, 929 (7th Cir. 2004) ("To merit protection from
The evidence and testimony at trial make clear that Chapman Kelley's level
significant amount of intellectual labor and artistic expression that extends far
beyond the low level of creativity required by the Supreme Court under Feist. (See
Opening Br. of Appellant at Part 1.) The Chicago Park District does nothing to
counter the trial testimony and evidence other than reiterate the District Court's
mistaken conclusion. Simply, the Chicago Park District's conclusory allegations are
not sufficient to support the District Court's error with respect to the appropriate
3 Likewise, the Chicago Park District's reliance on Windom and Berkowitz, arguing that
"perfunctory and undeveloped arguments" are waived, is misplaced. U.S. u. Windom, 19
F.3d 1190, 1198 (7th Cir. 1994) (quoting U.S. u. Berkowitz, 927 F.2d 1376, 1384 (7th Cir.
1991)). In both cases, the reference to "perfunctory and undeveloped arguments" refers
to inadequate and incomplete arguments presented in the appellate briefs. Id.
Chapman Kelley's opening brief clearly states the standard for originality, provides
pertinent authority, and provides specific examples from the trial testimony and
evidence showing how Wildflower Works is original and creative under the Copyright
Act. (See Opening Br. of Appellant at Part 1.)
10
2. Wildflower Works Is Fixed in a Tangible Medium and Can
Be Perceived, Reproduced and Otherwise Communicated
Although the District Court never reached the argument, the Chicago Park
District argues that simply because the floral component of Wildflower Works
changes color, grows, and dies it is not "fixed in a tangible medium of expression,"
and thus not entitled to copyright protection. See 17 U.S.C. § 101 (emphasis added).
The Chicago Park District, however, misconstrues the fixation requirement of the
Copyright Act to mean that artwork can never change over time if it is to be
The Copyright Act defines the fixation requirement to mean that "(aJ work is
Furthermore, the Act defines copies as "material objects. . . in which a work is fixed
by any method now known or later developed." Id. (emphasis added). The fixation
requirement of the Copyright Act, thus, does not require that a work of art is
so that the author's idea can be perceived. See Midway Mfg. Co. v. Artic Intl, Inc.,
547 F.Supp. 999, 1007 (N,D. IlL. 1982) (a copy "may be made in any medium
whatsoever, so long as the work can be perceived from it") ; Letter Edged in Black
Press, Inc. v. Pub. Bldg. Comm'n of Chi., 320 F. Supp. 1303, 1310 (N.D. IlL. 1970)
("It is settled that a copyright can exist only in a perceptible, tangiblework."); see
also Collins & Aikman Corp. v. Carpostan Indus., Inc., 905 F.2d 1529 (4th Cir.
11
1990) (unpublished table decision) (fixation is synonymous with physical
embodiment).
Indeed, numerous courts have provided copyright protection for works that
are constantly changing and don't feature a static image, such as computer and
video games and telecasts of sporting events and performances. See, e.g., Midway
Mfg. Co. v. Artic Intl, Inc., 704 F.2d 1009, 1013-14 (7th Cir. 1983) (audiovisual
Major League Baseball Players Ass'n, 805 F.2d 663,675 (7th Cir. 1986) (telecasts of
major league baseball games satisfy the fixation requirement when recorded since
Servs. of Michigan, Inc. v. MA Sys. Corp., 845 F.Supp. 356, 363 (E.D. Va. 1994)
("(T)he Act does not require absolute permanence for the creation of a copy.")
Computer Services, the Court analyzed whether the nature of random access
fixed and therefore could not be considered a copy of a copyrighted program. Id, at
362. In particular, the plaintiffs argued that the RA is ephemeral and transitory
because once a computer is turned off, the information is immediately cleared from
the RAM and incapable of perception. Id. at 363. The court held that because
representations of the information stored in the RAM could be displayed, even if for
12
only a few minutes, or printed, it was stable enough to be perceived, and thus
found very near to Wildflower Works. In Grant Park there is another sculpture,
Crown Fountain, that features constantly changing facial images on its sides every
18 seconds. Jaume Plensa, the artist behind Crown Fountain, owns the sculpture's
the District Court in support of his holding that an arrangement of living plants can
be considered a work of visual art. Kelley v. Chi. Park Dist., No. 04 C 07715, 2008
WL 4449886, at *4 (N.D, ILL. Sept. 29, 2008). Puppy is a 43 foot sculpture of flowers,
steel, and an internal irrigation system in the shape of a puppy. Despite the use of
flowers in the arrangement that must be maintained and that change over time,
Puppy is copyrightable. See SHL Imaging, Inc. v. Artisan House, Inc., 117 F. Supp.
2d 301, 306 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) (referencing Jeff Koons' Puppy sculpture to ilustrate a
In fact, all artwork, particularly outdoor art, changes over time -- paints fade,
metal rusts, dirt accumulates. Just because art changes over time does not mean it
is not copyrightable per the fixation requirement. At trial Kelley and his expert
Jane Jacobs both testified repeatedly that all artwork is constantly changing. (See
art changes:
13
Q. Did you ever make -- is it fair to say that once you have
placed traditional paint on canvas, the item, the paint has
become fixed to the canvass in a more or less stable way?
Q. It's --
In the present case we are not dealing with a work that changes within
seconds or even minutes, rather the changes in Wildflower Works happen over the
course of months as summer gives way to fall, and fall segues into winter, and so
forth. (A0168.) Indeed, Wildflower Works is both permanent and stable so that it
14
also Midway Mfg. Co., 704 F.2d at 1013-14; Baltimore Orioles, Inc., 805 F.2d at 675;
Advanced Computer Servs. of Michigan, Inc., 845 F.Supp. at 363. Wildflower Works
lasted in Kelley's original form for 20 years until the Chicago Park District
suddenly decided to mutilate it. In fact, millions of visitors have had an opportunity
to see Chapman Kelley's work; it has been photographed and painted countless
times. Just because the composition of the work changes as the flowers grow, bloom,
die, and are reborn does not prevent Wildflower Works from being perceived. The
changing nature of the composition does not mean that Wildflower Works exists in
one instant and the next second, minute, day, week, month, or year it ceases to
exist.
aesthetically pleasing work was embodied in the two large ellipses created by the
metal and gravel edging surrounding carefully selected native wildflowers known as
entitled to copyright protection, completely misses the point. Kelley does not seek
management system.
15
Simply, while an idea or a system for creating art may not be copyrightable,
the art resulting from the idea or system certainly can be. Mazer v. Stein, 347 U.S.
201, 217 (1954) (ilustrating the principle with an example of two men with similar
ideas of making a map of a particular territory -- while the idea of making the map
is clearly not copyrightable, each map is copyrightable). In the same vein, every
paintings are usually the product of a system for creating images of paint on canvas
and sculptures are usually the product of and incorporate a system of creating
shapes out of clay or steel or other solid medium. Indeed, all art is the product of
one system or idea or another. And, of course, while the systems and ideas
themselves are not subject to copyright protection, the art created therewith that
In the present case, Chapman Kelley does not argue that the vegetative
Indeed, Chapman Kelley is first and foremost an artist known for his depictions of
Kelley wanted to create a new form of art that incorporated living and non-living
vegetative management system, which was defined at trial to mean "a system of
available" (A0219), that does not render the artwork itself, the visual aesthetics of
16
Wildflower Works, incapable of copyright protection. The Chicago Park District's
VARA's Building Waiver Exception does not preclude Kelley from relief.
VARA's Building Waiver Exception, 17 U.S.C. § 113(d)(1), states that when a work
of visual art has been "incorporated in or made part or a building" prior to VARA's
or other modification" VARA is inapplicable. Id. Three requirements are needed for
the Building Waiver Exception to apply: (1) the work of visual art has to be built
into a building; (2) the removal of the work must cause the destruction, distortion,
mutilation or other modification of the work; and (3) the artist must have consented
The Chicago Park District attempts to use 17 U.S.C. § 113(d)(1) to argue that
Wildflower Works is not protected under VARA because it was built prior to VARA's
effective date and was incorporated in the structure beneath the plaza. However,
none of the statute's requirements are established in the present case. Chapman
Kelley's Wildflower Works resides in Daley Bicentennial Plaza in Grant Park and
was never built into or incorporated into any building, including, but not limited to
the Monroe Street Parking Garage. As such, the Chicago Park District's strained
17
1. Wildflower Works Is Neither Incorporated in Nor Made
Part of the Monroe Street Parking Garage
The language of the Building Waiver Exception specifically requires that a
work of visual art must be "incorporated in or made part of a building" for the
section to apply. 17 U.S.C. § 113(d)(1). Here, Wildflower Works has neither been
incorporated in the building nor made a part of the building. To the contrary, it is
planted in dirt, which itself is not incorporated into the building, that has the
happenstance of sitting atop of the garage of the Monroe Street Parking Garage.
This mere juxtaposition does not satisfy the first element of the Building Waiver
Exception.
Indeed, the few cases finding application of the Building Waiver Exception
are cases in which the visual art has clearly been constructed into or actually made
part of the building at issue. See e.g. Carter v. Helmsley-Spear, Inc., 71 F.3d 77 (2d
Cir. 1995) (dealing with metal sculptures bolted and screwed into the walls and
ceilings of the lobby of a commercial building and also a glass mosaic embedded into
the floor of the lobby); Board of Managers of Soho Intl Arts Condo. v. City of New
bolted his sculpture into a city wall and subsequently painted both the sculpture
and braces on the wall as part of the larger exhibition); English v. BFC & R E. 11th
St. LLC, No. 97 Civ. 7446, 1997 WL 746444, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 3, 1997) (artists
painted their murals directly on the walls of the building in question). These cases
are easily distinguishable from Wildflower Works, In each of these cases, the works
could not be distinguished from the buildings, Without the buildings, the works
18
could not exist. In other words, these cases teach that for the Building Waiver
Exception to apply in the present case, Wildflower Works must have been united or
worked into the parking garage so that the two could not be distinguished from one
another.
That is not the case here. To the contrary, Wildflower Works is wholly
distinguishable and separate from the parking garage. While the parking garage
may be located under the Daley Bicentennial Plaza, Wildflower Works is separated
from the garage by a layer of earth. (A0108, A0446) The only visible part of the
garage while standing in the Plaza are the air vents that the exhibit is built around
Simply, Wildflower Works could obviously exist without the presence of the
Monroe Street Parking Garage. Accordingly, the Chicago Park District cannot
establish the first element of the Building Waiver Exception, and its argument must
be rejected.
fitting the definition of § 113(d) into two different categories, namely removable and
non-removable works of visual art." Board of Managers of Soho IntZ Arts Condo.,
4 If one was to follow the Chicago Park District's logic then everything in or near Grant
Park would be considered as being built into or incorporated into the parking garages
that lie underneath. Similarly, any structures built along the underground section of
Chicago's Red Line would be considered as being made part of or incorporated into the
subway line. Obviously, the fact that a structure is built on top of another structure
does not mean that the two have been incorporated or made into one structure,
particularly when the two structures are separated by earth.
19
2003 WL 21403333; at *8-9. Specifically, the Building Waiver Exception does not
apply to works of visual art that can be removed from their location without causing
§ 113(d)(1). In cases of removable works of visual art, the property owner is under
an obligation to notify the artist in writing of the imminent removal and provide 90
days for the artist to remove his artwork or pay for its removaL. 17 U.S.C.
§ 113(d)(2)(B). If this notification is not provided, then the artist retains his VARA
The undisputed evidence in this case proves that Wildflower Works could be
removed while maintaining its integrity. Kelley and his expert witness testified
multiple times that Wildflower Works was removable. Chapman Kelley testified at
trial that Wildflower Works could have been removed in its entirety without
machines that take up turf grass, roll it up and sell it and you move it, and put it
somewhere else."); see also A0181 ("You couldn't pick it up and move it, but it could
be transported. Just like they do sections of grass, they have big machines that
come and lift it up and roll it up or whatever and then move it elsewhere.").)
this point. Accordingly, even if this Court were to find that Wildflower Works was
incorporated into and made a part of the Monroe Street Parking Garage (which it is
not), it cannot establish the second requirement of the Building Waiver Exception.
20
3. Kelley Did Not Consent to the Incorporation of
Wildflower Works into the Monroe Street Parking Garage
The third requirement of the Building Waiver Exception requires Chapman
Parking Garage. 17 U.S.C. § 113(d)(1) (B). Specifically, VARA requires that "the
author consented to the installation of the work in the building." Id. (emphasis
added).
Here, there was never any consent by Chapman Kelley to install Wildflower
Works in the Monroe Street Parking Garage. The original permit signed by both the
Chicago Park District and Kelley explicitly states that "permission is hereby
added).) Chapman Kelley consented to install Wildflower Works in the plaza and
not in the garage. The permit does mention that there is a garage underground and
that care should be taken to avoid damage to the garage, but the permit expressly
requires that Wildflower Works is to be installed in the plaza, not the garage.
Daley Bicentennial Plaza and not the Monroe Street Parking Garage, the Chicago
Park District cannot satisfy the final requirement of the Building Waiver Exception.
his V ARA rights following the expiration of the 1988 Permit. The waiver argument
21
fails for a variety of reasons. First, V ARA rights may be waived by the artist, but
only "if the author expressly agrees to such waiver in a written instrument signed
by the author." 17 U.s.C. § 106(A)(e)(1). The waiver must "specifically identify the
work, and uses of that work, to which the waiver applies." Id. VARA was enacted in
1990; prior to its enactment, the rights created by the Act did not exist. 17 U.S.C.
§ 106A. See also Thomason v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 9 F.3d 645,647 (7th Cir. 1993)
been enjoyed" (citation omitted) (emphasis added)). No such written waiver exists
In lieu of the explicit, written waiver required by VARA, the Chicago Park
District points to the 1988 Permit as evidence of waiver of V ARA rights. Far from
demonstrating that Chapman Kelley waived his VARA rights, however, the 1988
Permit instead belies the fact that neither Chapman Kelley nor the Chicago Park
District could have even contemplated waiver of V ARA rights in executing the
Permit. Such rights did not yet exist, and thus, Chapman Kelley could not have
"expressly agreed" to their waiver.5 17 U,S.C. § 106A; Thomason, 9 F.3d at 647; see
also Note, The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990: American Artists Burned Again, 17
Cardozo L. Rev. 373, 417 (1995) ("(Section 106A(e)) subjects the validity of a waiver,
5 The authority cited by the Chicago Park District, Taylor v. Chicago Park Dist., No. 91 C
2380, 1991 WL 111154, at *1 (N.D. IlL. June 17, 1991), is inapposite to the question of
V AR rights and waiver thereof. The gun club at issue did not claim to be protected by
V ARA and the Act is not referenced in the opinion. Id.
22
that any such waiver is granted knowingly and voluntarily. Any ambiguities that
may crop up in actual use of the waiver provisions are solidly decided in favor of the
author.")
In fact, the type of waiver suggested by the Chicago Park District is precisely
the type that V ARA seeks to protect against. The House Subcommittee Report for
VARA notes that "routine waivers of the (author's) rights will eviscerate the law,"
H.R. Rep. No.101-514, p.16 (1990), and accordingly that "(w)aivers and the
are) valid only if the parties follow the rules set forth in subsection (e)(l)." Id.
Thus, simply, the Act "does not permit blanket waivers," H.R. Rep. NO.101-
514, p.19 (1990), let alone blanket waivers veiled as a mere permit. See Martin v.
City of Indianapolis, 192 F.3d 608, 613-14 (7th Cir. 1999) (finding that project
agreement between city and artist entered into prior to adoption of V ARA did not
Kelley's burden of proof for damages at trial: proof that damage was suffered, and a
reasonable basis for calculating those damages. (Opp'n Br. of Chicago Park District
6 See also Christopher R. Mathews, VARA's Delicate Balance and the Crucial Role of
the
Waiver Provision: Its Current State and Its Future, 10 UCLA Ent. L. Rev. 139, 143
(2003) (explaining that Congress drafted a "system that allowed for waivers but would
discourage such a practice from becoming routine").
23
at 1 7.) That being said, there is no dispute that Wildflower Works was badly
damaged; the District Court found that almost 55% of the work was destroyed by
the actions of the Chicago Park District. Kelley, 2008 WL4449886 at *9.7 Also, as
the Chicago Park District admits, Kelley's expert testified that the value of the
flowers at Wildflower Works was $1.5 milion, a number accepted by the District
Court and not refuted at triaL. (Opp'n Br. of Chicago Park District at 18.)
District Court could, and should, have calculated the minimum amount of contract
damages suffered by Kelley: $825,000. While this may not be a calculation that the
Chicago Park District likes, there was the opportunity to present opposing expert
testimony at trial regarding the value of Wildflower Works. The Chicago Park
District did not do so. While the Chicago Park District, in a response brief, offers all
sorts of reasons why this calculation might not be accurate, the value of damages
was a question of fact that should have been evaluated at triaL. The Chicago Park
expert testimony, the court found that Kelley failed to consider certain costs, costs
plant removal). The Chicago Park District raises these same costs on appeaL. (Opp'n
7 Kelley believes that the actual destruction was more in realm of 90% of the work, but,
for purposes of this appeal, his argument is based upon the factual findings by the
District Court.
24
land).) But, it is black letter law that the burden of proof is on the defendant to show
what damages the plaintiff could mitigate. See, e,g., Washington Courte Condo.
Assoc.-Four v. Washington-Golf Corp., 643 N.E.2d 199, 220 (IlL. App. Ct. 1994)
(holding that "the party asserting non-mitigation of damages bears the burden of
proof as to the extent of non-mitigation") citing Pioneer Bank & Trust Co. v, Seiko
Sporting Goods, Co., 540 N.E.2d 808, 813 (Ill. App. Ct. 1989). And all the unproven
(and unquantified) costs about which the District Court and the Chicago Park
District object are costs that Kelley would have incurred in removing wildflowers to
prevent the wilful destruction by Chicago Park District of Wildflower Works. Those
consequences. Chicago Park District suggests that, rather than challenging Chicago
removed the wildflowers. The absurdity of this suggestion is clear; his desire to
remove Wildflower Works before the Chicago Park District's action is exact1y why
Kelley sued for breach of contract. He expected written notice of at least ninety days
to arrange for the removal of his artwork to avoid its destruction-the Chicago
Park District did not provide even a week. He is now before this Court
complaining that he was not provided a reasonable opportunity to remove his life's
work. Kelley would have loved to have avoided all of his damages. He wasn't given
an opportunity and the Chicago Park District's argument in this regard stands logic
on its head.
25
Consequently, because of the failure of the District Court to award damages,
this case must be remanded for further proceedings. The District Court must
properly calculate the breach of contract damages owed to Kelley. Likewise, because
the District Court erroneously determined that Wildflower Works was not entitled
to protection under V ARA, the court did not award V ARA damages. The District
Court must also correct this error, and award VARA damages.
Margaret Burroughs did not have the authority to bind the Chicago Park District
under the relevant municipal code.8 The Chicago Park District's claim is untenable.
Indeed, the District Court correctly determined that Margaret Burroughs had the
requisite authority.
The relevant municipal code states that "(t)the commissioners of such district
constitute the corporate authorities thereof. . . and have full power to manage and
26
control all the officers and property of the district, and all parks. . . maintained by
such district or committed to its care and custody." 70 ILCS 150517.01 (emphasis
added). There can be no serious dispute that 70 ILCS 150517.01 granted Margaret
Burroughs the authority to bind the Chicago Park District. To be clear, Black's law
Dictionary, 8th Ed. 2004). The use of the word "authorities" in the statute indicates,
by plain language, that there is more than one corporate authority. Thus, the
used elsewhere in the statute.9 The word "commission" is used in instances where
the statute grants power to the Chicago Park District commission, rather than to
ILCS 1505/23. The phrase "Chicago Park District" is used where the statutory
language defines the powers of the "Chicago Park District" generally, rather than
9 Appellee Chicago Park District's citation to 70 ILCS 1505/4 is irrelevant. That section
describes how the commissioners form the commission by electing an executive officer
and supporting administrative officials, and how that commission, once formed,
executes official actions. Because corporate authority is granted to the individual
commissioners, not the commission, the exercise of corporate authority does not involve
any official action of the commission.
Nor does the Code of the Chicago Park District contradict the plain language of the
Chicago Park District Act. As a threshold matter, an ordinance of the commission could
not contradict a statutory enactment of the Ilinois legislature. But the Code simply
vests management and control in the commission "as created and established by the
Park Act." Chapter II(A)(1).
27
the power of the commission or the commissioners individually. See, e.g., 70 ILCS
The use of the language "commission" and "Chicago Park District" indicates
that the drafters of this statue were fully aware of, and indeed did use, collective
language where power was granted to a collective body. The clear inference is that
commission, the statute should read 'the commission of such district constitutes the
In sum, the Chicago Park District cannot prove that Margaret Burroughs
lacked the authority to bind the Chicago Park District. She had the authority and
Court correctly determined that the Chicago Park District breached that
Works.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, Chapman Kelley respectfully requests that this
Court reverse the District Court's determinations that (1) the Chicago Park District
did not violate VARA by mutilating Wildflower Works and (2) that Chapman Kelley
did not offer sufficient evidence to establish damages for breach of contract, and
that this Court affirm the District Court's conclusion that the City breached its
28
proper and timely notice. Chapman Kelley also respectfully requests that this Court
remand to the District Court for the determination of damages appropriate for
/~
Aréx L. Karan (ARDC No. 6272495)
Micah E. Marcus (ARDC No. 6257569)
Hector C. Bove (ARDC No. 6295946)
KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 862-2000 (telephone)
(312) 862-2200 (facsimile)
29
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
Pursuant to Circuit Rule 32(a)(7)(B), the undersigned counsel certifies that
this brief complies with the type-volume limitation of Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(7)(B)
because this brief contains 8320 words. Counsel further certifies that this brief
complies with the typeface requirements of Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(5) and the type-
style requirements of Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(6) because this brief has been prepared
Schoolbook type style and 12 point type in the body of the brief and 11 point type in
the footnotes.
.~.....
M~_e~-
Alex L. Karan (ARDC No. 6272495)
Micah E. Marcus (ARDe No. 6257569)
Hector C. Bove (ARDC No. 6295946)
KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 862-2000 (telephone)
(312) 862-2200 (facsimile)
30
CIRCUIT RULE 30(D) STATEMENT
Pursuant to Circuit Rule 30(d), I hereby certify that all material required by
Circuit Rule 30(a) and (b) is included in the Appendices filed with the Opening Brief
of Appellant. The material required by Circuit Rule 30(a) is included with the
Opening Brief filed by the Appellants. The material required by Circuit Rule 30(b)
is separately filed.
~¿~~~~----
Alex L. Karan (ARDC No. 6272495)
Micah E. Marcus (ARDC No. 6257569)
Hector C. Bove (ARDC No. 6295946)
KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 862-2000 (telephone)
(312) 862-2200 (facsimile)
31
CIRCUIT RULE 3l(E) CERTIFICATION
Pursuant to Circuit Rule 31(e), the undersigned counsel certifies that a
digital version of this brief and all of the appendix items that are available in non-
scanned portable document ("PDF") format have been filed with the Court on CD-
ROM, that the digital version is in PDF format and was generated by printing to
PDF from the original word processing file, and that the CD-ROM containing the
.¿~-~
Alex L. Karan (ARDC No. 6272495)
Micah E. Marcus (ARDC No. 6257569)
Hector C. Bove (ARDC No. 6295946)
KIRKLND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 862-2000 (telephone)
(312) 862-2200 (facsimile)
32
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, Micah Marcus, hereby certify that on June 12, 2009, I did cause a true and
Annette M. McGarry
McGarry & McGarry, LLC
120 N. LaSalle, #1100
Chicago, IL 60602
David Donnersberger
Nelson A. Brown, Jr.
Chicago Park District
Law Department
541, N. Fairbanks Court, 3W
Chicago, IL 60611
4v~
Alex L. Karan (ARDC No. 627249ñ)
Micah E. Marcus (ARDC No. 6257569)
Hector C, Bove (ARDC No. 6295946)
KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP
300 North LaSalle
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 862-2000 (telephone)
(312) 862-2200 (facsimile)
33