Jeff Koons Drops Lawsuit Against San Francisco Art Store; Balloon Dog Bookends For Sale

Anyone can twist a balloon and make a dog

​Recently we wrote about how New York artist Jeff Koons tried to sue San Francisco's Park Life, an art and book store, for selling its quirky dog balloon bookends. Now Koons, who was ridiculed after ordering the store to yank the dog item from the shelves, has dropped his lawsuit, according to Park Life.

"It's over. Jeff Koons and his threatening lawsuit have retreated and dropped any and all pursuit of Park Life. Fun while it lasted," Park Life's Web site reads.

Koons had sued the shop in January, claiming it had ripped off his balloon dog idea. The retail art gallery and bookstore sells rare and limited-edition items, including books, jewelry, prints, paper goods, and art from all over the world. One of its latest items was the quirky $30 bookends, based on the classic clown art of twisting balloons into animal shapes.
Koons, who is well-known for his pop art, created a 10-foot metal reproduction of a balloon twisted to resemble a toy dog.

On Dec. 20, Koons sent a cease-and-desist letter to Park Life, asking the retailer to stop selling the dogs by Christmas or else he would sue. Although the bookends were not a hot item, Park Life kept them on the shelves. Koons then filed a lawsuit, but Park Life turned around with its own complaint, saying the art of twisting a balloon into a dog is public domain and doesn't belong to Koons.

Koons has only seemed to help business at Park Life. After the lawsuit was filed, a Park Life employee told SF Weekly that the bookends were not big sellers. However, the lawsuit, which was reported by numerous media outlets, has generated enough publicity that sales have picked up dramatically.

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