Banksy is one of a few artists in the world, who have still managed to stay anonymous. While his identity is concealed and Banksy is generally fine about his art’s reproduction for non-commercial purposes, he has faced several long-lasting legal battles with companies aiming at the commercial distribution of his works and challenging trademark protections of his art. One of the companies with a long track record of legal opposition with Banksy and his official business entity, Pest Control Office Ltd., is Full Colour Black. Here are the details of the Full Colour Black vs. Banksy lawsuit and the demands that the greeting card company has for Banksy’s trademark.
Details of the Full Colour Black vs. Banksy lawsuit
At the beginning of 2025, Full Colour Black made another attempt to challenge Banksy’s trademark rights in court. The greeting card company claims that Banksy has failed to use his trademark effectively during the years of its ownership, so his active trademark protection should be canceled for “non-use.”
Banksy and his representatives, Pest Control Office Ltd., will have to testify in court at the Intellectual Property Office to present evidence of using the “Banksy” trademark to sell artwork and merchandise over the past years.
Previous lawsuits against Banksy
The Full Colour Black vs. Banksy lawsuit is not the first time when the famous British street artist has to protect his rights in court. The same company already challenged Banksy’s trademark in 2019 in an effort to cancel the trademark protection for Banksy’s works because of their non-distinctiveness. The company also stressed the fact that the trademarks for Banksy’s works were registered “in bad faith,” and the court supported its claims by allowing the public to photograph and reproduce Banksy’s street art.
Banksy also faced several lawsuits on the part of the EU courts that challenged the artist’s right to hold trademarks for his art creations while keeping his identity anonymous. According to the EU law, trademark holders should be publicly known, and Banksy’s desire to stay non-named came into conflict with European regulations.
Banksy and copyright
Let’s take a closer look at the copyright and trademark issues related to Banksy’s creative products. While Banksy’s art is under copyright protection by default, his representative company Pest Control Office Ltd. registered a trademark for several art objects, including the 2002 work featuring a monkey holding the sign “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” and the famous “Love is in the air.” However, the legal status of Banksy’s creations still remains ambiguous in many aspects, with courts of different jurisdictions issuing divergent resolutions concerning protection from commercial reproduction.