Decision Moulinsart / Marabout

We have taken note of the judgement pronounced by the Civil Court of Rennes on 10th May 2021, which pitted Moulinsart, in its capacity as holder of Hergé’s Rights, against the artist Marabout. We are extremely surprised and regret this decision, which considers that the work of this artist, who uses Hergé's works and characters, falls under the Parody Exception to Copyright law. We are the first to defend freedom of artistic expression but we are convinced that Xavier Marabout's paintings go far beyond this exception to copyright. They are adaptations (or appropriations) of Hergé's work that do not have the character of a legal parody. These transformative works infringe Hergé's copyright and we therefore intend to appeal this decision.