Under the hammer

A plan to guarantee royalties on auctioned works, even after the death of the artist, stirs a lively debate in China, Kelly Chung Dawson reports.

A controversial clause in the draft of a new copyright law currently under consideration in China would ensure royalty payments for artists whose work is resold at auction. Potentially, it would also guarantee financial security for the families of deceased artists.

Although "droit de suite", commonly known as the artists' resale right, has been enacted in more than 60 countries, it has faced opposition in the United States and now China, for its potential to stifle the art market. Artists, auction houses and dealers have come out on both sides of the legislation, sparking a debate that is particularly heated in a country whose art auction market is now the biggest in the world.