Difference Between Playboy’s ‘Rabbitars’ and Warhol’s Soup Can

Despite decades of scholarly discussion, the legal status of iconic Campbell’s Soup and other Warhol creations based on familiar consumer goods has never been examined. According to Tony Scherman and David Dalton in their passionate book on the art of Warhol, the artist often backed down in the face of threats of lawsuits. But he is rarely sued. (Interestingly, according to a 1988 federal court decision, many of Warhol’s own works that imitate commercial images, including at least one work in the Campbell’s Soup series, are copyright-free.)