Peter Law Group
Date: March 17, 2011
Summary: Arnold Peter represented Rick Norsigian in a legal battle over 65 alleged Ansel Adams negatives bought at a garage sale, resulting in a confidential settlement restricting use of Adams’s name in future sales amid ongoing attribution debate.
A $45 Discovery and a Disputed Attribution
Rick Norsigian bought 65 glass negatives for $45. His experts attributed them to Ansel Adams; the Adams Trust disagreed. Veritas Business Law discusses both the competing attribution and the subsequent litigation.
CBS News’s July 2010 report identified Arnold Peter as Norsigian’s attorney and described the disputed authentication announcement.
Why the Photographer’s Name Mattered
The dispute concerned marketing prints under Adams’ name. As the Veritas commentary explains, an artist’s name can communicate authenticity to buyers. Its account also identifies Earl Brooks as a competing attribution.
A Settlement, Not an Authentication
The Independent reported the settlement in March 2011; authorship remained unresolved.
Veritas describes an agreement preventing sales under the Adams name. Resolving the marketing dispute did not authenticate the photographs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Was there a $200 million sale?
The cited coverage describes a valuation claim, not a completed sale at that price.
Were the negatives conclusively authenticated?
The sources describe conflicting positions. The settlement should not be read as confirmation of Adams’ authorship.
Why was this a trademark dispute?
The controversy extended beyond possession of negatives to selling prints using a famous photographer’s name.
