Gross Domestic Product, the Banksy shop which popped up overnight in Croydon, South London, will be packed with all kinds of quirky items—but the real catch is that it will never actually open its doors to the public.
The motive behind the whole thing? To keep counterfeit Banksy goods at bay. “A greetings card company is contesting the trademark I hold to my art,” the anonymous artist said in a statement. “And attempting to take custody of my name so they can sell their fake Banksy merchandise legally.”
What this essentially means is if the artist doesn’t actually make his own merchandise, it can be legally reproduced and sold by anyone. Mark Stephens, Banksy’s lawyer and the founder of the Designs and Artists Copyright Society explains to Robb Report: “Because he doesn’t produce his own range of shoddy merchandise and the law is quite clear—if the trademark holder is not using the mark, then it can be transferred to someone who will.”
