Scots artist Jack Vettriano has won a legal battle to clamp down on a forgery gang trying to cash in on his work.
The celebrated painter called in lawyers after a website was set up using his name to sell fake copies of
his art.
The web address www.jack-vettriano.co.uk was registered as a domain name in 2014 by a person based in China.
The real address for the 67-year-old artist’s website, where he sells prints of his famous paintings including The Singing Butler, is www.jackvettriano.co.uk
The Far East counterfeit operation was promising unsuspecting customers prints of any Vettriano painting.
Now, the Nominet Dispute Resolution Service – which oversees UK domains – has ruled that the bogus website should be handed over to Vettriano.
A spokesperson for Jack Vettriano Publishing said: “It is extremely important to us that fans of Jack Vettriano’s work are not tricked into purchasing sub-standard copies which are being passed off as official merchandise.”
Trading standards officers say that if consumers are unsure about the origins of a website, the advice is to use the “Who is” tool on Nominet’s website.
