Artist Koons Defeats Copyright Suit Over ‘Made in Heaven’ Series

American artist Jeff Koons convinced a Manhattan federal court to dismiss a lawsuit alleging three pieces from his “Made in Heaven” series infringe a sculpture by artist Michael Hayden.

Hayden’s copyright claims against the so-called “appropriation artist” are time-barred because Hayden should’ve discovered the alleged infringement before 2019, according to an order issued Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Hayden was living in Italy in 1990 when Koons’ works premiered at an exhibition in Venice which caused a “media sensation and scandal” so large that Hayden should’ve reasonably known about the pieces.

• Hayden ...