(Fiat)
So much for underground art.
Fiat has settled with a group of litigious Bronx graffiti artists whose work appeared in the background of the car maker's controversial new commercial featuring Jennifer Lopez.
The artists, Tats Cru, are a commercial group of former illicit taggers who now work for big brands ranging from Coca-Cola to M&M's. Their work has been featured by the Smithsonian, adorns dozens of public schools around the city and members have even lectured at colleges like MIT.
In the J. Lo spot, the mercurial music-maker, who was born in the Bronx, is heard saying “Here ... this is my world,” as cameras pan across a colorful wall at Whitlock Ave. and E. 165th St. in the Bronx splashed with TATS Cru murals including one reading “I [heart] Bronx.”
Miguel Aguilar, PacificCoastNews
Jennifer Lopez drives on set in a white Fiat.
She is also seen whizing by locals, like a cop walking a beat, a barber and a kid bouncing a basketball down the street.
"The Fiat brand recently learned of a copyright issue involving a graffiti mural created by the Bronx-based artists TATS Cru, which appeared in the background of a Fiat commercial," Fiat spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez said.
"It is the Company’s standard protocol to require that its ad agencies conduct the necessary due diligence to ensure that all trademarks and copyrights are respected in the course of producing our advertisements. We are pleased to announce that the parties have reached an amicable resolution to this matter. Details of this agreement are confidential."