Facebook has agreed to settle a years-long legal battle with a French teacher who sued after the social media giant shuttered his account when he posted a renowned 19th-century painting that features a woman's genitals, his lawyer said Thursday, reports FRANCE 24.
The dispute dates to 2011, when the teacher, Frédéric Durand, ran afoul of Facebook's ban on nude images after posting a link that included a thumbnail image of "L'Origine du Monde" (The Origin of the World), an 1866 oil painting by the realist painter Gustave Courbet.
The painting is one of many treasures that adorn the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and Durand argued that the US tech giant was infringing on his freedom of expression.
He sought 20,000 euros ($22,100) in damages and initially won his case in a Paris court. A higher court overturned the ruling in March 2018, though it scolded Facebook for not initially explaining why the account was closed.
Durand had been preparing an appeal, but in a statement to AFP, his lawyer Stéphane Cottineau said a deal had been reached for Facebook to make an unspecified donation to a French street art association called Le MUR (The WALL).
"This donation ends the legal battle between Mr Durand and Facebook," Cottineau said, without specifying why the street art association had been chosen, or which side had initiated the settlement talks.