Key facts
- A Dutch court artist received damages from a PVV MP for unauthorized use and AI manipulation of her artwork.
- The altered drawing was used in a political video by the PVV's Noord-Brabant region.
- The artist cited concerns about copyright, political neutrality, and AI distortion.
- Dutch law protects creators' moral rights against reputational harm from work distortion.
- The PVV MP acknowledged the act was "very stupid" and has since removed the video.
A Dutch court artist has been compensated with damages after a Member of Parliament from the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) used one of her drawings without permission and altered it using artificial intelligence to make the subjects appear more menacing.
Petra Urban, who has worked as a court artist for 19 years, discovered that a sketch she created of two Syrian brothers jailed for murder had been modified and shared in a video on social media by the PVV's Noord-Brabant regional branch. Urban expressed dismay over the unauthorized use of her work for a political party, which she felt compromised her neutrality, and particularly noted the use of AI for the distortion.
Under Dutch law, creators are protected by copyright and possess moral rights to object to any distortion of their work that could damage their reputation. The incident drew significant attention in May when Urban shared the images with fellow court reporters, leading to widespread press coverage.