"I did not plagiarize" Suspension of exhibition disposition against Japanese painter Yukio Umehara is "illegal," upholding the first instance ruling ordering 2.2 million yen in compensation... Tokyo High Court (Bengo4.com News)
The Tokyo High Court upheld the first instance ruling, finding the exhibition suspension imposed on Japanese painter Yukio Umehara illegal and ordering 2.2 million yen in compensation.Summary
On December 10th, the Tokyo High Court delivered its ruling in the appeal case filed by Japanese painter Yukio Umehara against the Japan Art Institute (Nihon Bijutsuin), which had imposed disciplinary action on him while he was a director. The High Court ruled that all dispositions imposed by the Institute on Umehara constituted an abuse or excess of discretionary power, thereby being illegal, and upheld the first instance ruling by the Tokyo District Court ordering the Institute to pay 2.2 million yen in damages. The Institute had suspended Umehara's exhibition participation for one year after judging his work "Kabu no Bosatsu" to be "too similar to someone else's work." Umehara sued for the nullification of the disposition and damages, arguing that the Institute's publication of the disposition on its website severely hindered his expressive activities. While the first instance court found the disposition illegal and ordered compensation, it did not grant Umehara's request for the removal of the article. The High Court explicitly stated that evidence supported that Umehara's work "was not created based on the works of other painters," confirming there was no issue with its creation or publication, and acknowledged the disadvantage Umehara suffered in losing opportunities to exhibit.
(Source：Yahoo!ニュース)