(ANSA) - Florence, November 23 - A Florence court on
Thursday issued a ban on using the image of Michelangelo's David
for commercial purposes.
The ban, valid for Italy and the rest of Europe, was
contained in an ordnance against the Visit Today company that
used promotional material featuring the David for over-the-odds
tickets to enter the Accademia Gallery where the famed statue is
housed.
The head of the body that looks after Florence's Duomo and
Baptistery, Luca Bagnoli, said they would follow the example of
the Galleria Dell'Accademia.
He voiced "satisfaction" at the court verdict, saying the
problem of ticket touting or scalping "also affects the
Florentine cathedral".
Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said the sentence was a "first
concrete signal.
"Now it it up to everyone, institutions, citizens and
companies, to apply it and see it is respected.
"The image of Florence must not be commercially exploited
without rules and without limits," said the Tuscan capital's
first citizen.
Use of Michelangelo's David banned (4)
In Italy and abroad