Van Morrison

Bob Dylan has issued a rare public statement to apologise for using a machine to duplicate his signature on books and artworks since 2019.

The Star said he regretted making an " error of judgment" in allowing The Works to be sold as hand-signed.

He Said he had started using an autopen after developing vertigo in 2019.

The issue came to light when fans who bought $600, limited-edition copies of Dylan's book The Philosophy of Modern Song compared photos of his signature.

The publisher, Simon & Schuster, initially refused requests for refunds, assuring buyers that the signatures were legitimate and validated by a " letter of authenticity".

After continued pressure, of The Star 's autograph, and offered full refunds to everyone who had bought one of the 900 " hand-signed" editions.

The Row also raised questions over Dylan's artworks, prints of which can sell for up to $15,000 (£12,400).

In a the singer-songwriter admitted that some of those had also been signed by machine.

" I've hand-signed each and every art print over The Years , and there's never been a problem, " he wrote.

" However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in Close Quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while The Virus was raging.

" So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn't help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done 'all The Time ' in the art and literary worlds.

" Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I'm working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that. "

Castle Fine Art, a UK art retailer that sells prints of Dylan's paintings, said they had been " entirely unaware of the use of autopen".

Only two collections, both released in 2022, were affected, it said in a statement. " All other editions were individually hand signed by Bob Dylan himself. "

Buyers who own a machine-signed print will be offered a full refund. However, they will be asked to " exchange the current certificate of authenticity for one reflecting the autopen signature".

The autopen was first patented in the USA in 1803, and allowed a machine to replicate a person's signature as they wrote. US president Thomas Jefferson was an early proponent of The System , purchasing two: One for the White House and another for his house in Monticello.

The modern version does not require the signatory to be Present - instead storing a digital version of their handwriting, which a robot arm can reproduce.

President Obama was the First Person to use one to sign a bill into law; and The Device is commonplace in the art and literature world.

Van Morrison was recently accused of using autopen to sign CDs, although his management issued a statement denying it.

Sinead O'Connor admitted to signing her memoir with The Device , saying: " I was not in a position to hand write my name 10,000 times, which is how many I was asked to sign.

" My son was unwell as was I".

In both these instances, the disputed items were selling for about £30, limiting the potential for Uproar - although many retailers withdrew the autographed copies of O'Connor's book from sale.

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Source of news: bbc.com