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California Civil Code section 986 entitles artists to a 5% royalty payment upon the resale of their works of art under certain circumstances. The act applies to original artwork that resells for over $1000. There are other criteria, of course, but you can read those yourself by following the links below. I applaud the state of California for taking a leadership role on this issue. It would be groundbreaking in the 21st century, but this legislation was enacted in 1976. I encourage all states to adopt similar legislation, and encourage California art dealers, brokers, and collectors to read the code (mostly section 986) to understand their responsibilities under the law. You can also read section 986 on my site by following this link.

 

 

A summary of California Civil Code section 986

 

http://www.cac.ca.gov/resaleroyaltyact/resaleroyaltyact.php

 

 

The full text of California Civil Code sections 980 to 989 can be found at:

 

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=civ&group=00001-01000&file=980-989