A German court ruled Wednesday that toymaker Ravensburger can use Leonardo da Vinci's drawing "Vitruvian Man" for its puzzles, in a setback for the Italian state and a Venetian gallery. Rejecting the appeal, the Stuttgart court on Wednesday found that "German courts are neither bound by the prior decision of the Italian court nor prevented from making their own ruling on the matter".

The Italian [state] had demanded a licensing agreement for the commercial use of one of the Renaissance master’s most famous drawings, despite the fact that he died more than 500 years ago, placing his works in the public domain under international copyright law.

The [Italian] plaintiffs argued that a domestic law aimed at protecting Italy’s cultural heritage meant they had the authority to demand agreements with those who profit from culturally significant artworks, even if they are based abroad.