An art student at a university in Iceland used the branding of Akureyri, Iceland-based fishing and processing company Samherji to issue a fake apology for the firm’s role in an infamous corruption scandal in Namibia.
Now, Samherji now wants the High Court of London to force the artist to take his artwork down.
The international fishing conglomerate has filed a complaint against Oddur Eysteinn Friðriksson, an artist who created the online campaign "We're Sorry!" on a website titled Samherji.co.uk.
Based on the design of Samherji’s corporate identity, the art student made it look as though the company was officially apologizing for its wrongdoings in Namibia during the Fishrot scandal, originally publicized in 2019, in which the company is accused of having bribed public officials to attain large fishing quotas and evade taxes in the process.
“I created this fictional apology from Samherji, which I believe is the only thing that could actually settle this black spot in the history of Namibia and Iceland,” Friðriksson said.
The website, which is currently inactive after the court agreed to give Samherji an interim injunction to temporarily remove it, was part of a college project Friðriksson worked on at Iceland University of Arts. The university showcased a version of the art in its annual graduation exhibit, but on the exhibit’s opening day, 18 May 2023, Friðriksson received the first complaint from Samherji.
“On the same day that the exhibition opened, I got a huge stack of papers from the lawyers of Samherji, and I had 48 hours to appear before a judge in London and defend myself,” Friðriksson said.
From 25 to 26 September 2024, the London court will decide whether the case will proceed or if Samherji can get the injunction against the artist decided on a summary judgment, meaning that the judge will make a decision without a trial. If the artist loses the case, he could be ordered to ...
