A museum in Russia has taken legal action against Rammstein‘s Till Lindemann over the “unauthorised” sale of an NFT bearing its imagery.
Last week, the German band’s frontman entered the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by selling VIP-style access to him along with special digital artwork. Fans were offered the chance to dine with the singer in Moscow, Russia as part of a €100,000 (£84,705) package.
The NFTs feature footage of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was originally shot for Lindemann’s ‘Любимый город’ [Beloved Town] video. While he had been granted permission to film there for the clip, the museum says the musician breached the terms of their agreement by selling NFTs that include materials shot on its premises.
A statement from the State Hermitage Museum, posted to Facebook last Friday (August 13), claims that it has issued Lindemann with a “license violation warning” over what are claimed to be “illegal tokens”.
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Posted by Государственный Эрмитаж. The State Hermitage museum. Official page. on Friday, August 13, 2021
“Mr. Lindemann is releasing a series of NFTs with digital images shot at the Hermitage during filming,” the message reads (translated from German by Facebook via Metal Hammer).
“Using images of objects from the collection and interiors of the museum in the token collection – also with the designation ‘Hermitage Edition’ – was not and could not be agreed with the museum.”
It is claimed that the museum had “not received a response” from the frontman at the time of publication. You can read the full statement above.
Lindemann’s collectible NFT packages were limited to just 10, each priced at €100,000. They are produced in partnership digital brokers twelve x twelve.
Meanwhile, Rammstein are set to hit the road for a European stadium tour next May before embarking on a run of North American shows later in 2022. Both stints were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the full schedule available here.
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