Electronic Frontier Foundation legal director Cindy Cohn talks net neutrality, first amendment and fair use with Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report. From EFF: “In a hard-hitting in-depth interview, Stephen and Cindy sparred over the most important issues facing the Internet today, including Hitler jokes, the Second Amendment, and Beer Cat.” More from Colbert Nation.

On Tuesday, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria Espinel, released the Joint Strategic Plan to Combat Intellectual Property Theft. In a blog post, Espinel notes the importance of balancing enforcement and creativity via fair use, “The Obama Administration has always embraced the free flow of information, online collaboration, and fair use by average citizens, which [...]

Thomas Kinkade was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Carmel, CA over the weekend. The Painter of Light‘s manufacturing arm has been plagued with legal issues as of late, including filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following a $1 million judgment against it. Flavorwire compiled a list of bizarre artist arrests, including a graffiti artist [...]

Five paintings were stolen from the Musee d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris Thursday morning. The heist, worth upwards of £500 million, includes Pablo Picasso’s Dove with Green Peas (1912), Henri Matisse’s Pastoral (1906), Amedeo Modigliani‘s The Lady with the Fan (1919), George Braque’s The Olive Tree near Estaque (1906), and Fernand Leger’s Still [...]

Do you remember the scene in Pollock where he settles his grocery bill with a painting? How about stories of businesses saving Picasso’s personal checks because his signature was often worth more than the tab? It turns out that the Mexican government has had a long standing artwork-as-currency policy, at least for settling tax debts. [...]

The handwritten lyrics to the Beatles ‘A Day In The Life,’ penned by John Lennon in 1967, are to be auctioned June 18 at Sotheby’s. The single sheet of paper, with drafts of the song on both sides, is estimated at upwards of $700,000.00. More here.

The National Gallery, London will exhibit forgeries from its permanent collection. Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries “showcase[s] some of the most intriguing stories behind paintings in the Gallery, as it explores the ways in which advances in scholarship and technology can reveal the misconceptions of the past.” The exhibit runs June 30 to September [...]

Over 1,200 works from the Polaroid Collection of Photography are headed to auction at Sotheby’s on June 21/22, 2010. The works are being liquidated by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota. Proceeds from the auction, estimated at upwards of $11.5 million, will be paid to the creditors of the defunct [...]