Owning copyright in the digital age may be one of the most lucrative hustles.

In a world where a viral internet meme of a dog can be sold for an eye watering US$4 million as a non-fungible token, the limit to making money from recreations of original artwork if you own copyright could be virtually endless.

And that’s why traditional artists, art galleries and buyers are worried.

A High Court judgment revealing the copyright on artist Sirpa Alalääkkölä’s work produced during her marriage could be shared as relationship property with her ex-husband after their separation caught some in the art community off guard. The judgment is an appeal of an earlier decision by the Family Court that ruled in Alalääkkölä’s favour stating that the copyright in the artworks belonged solely to her.

Continue reading this article by Anuja Nadkarni on Newsroom to read Jeremy's comments on how you can protect your interest in a copyright against a relationship property claim.