British greeting card company Full Colour Black and its owner, Andrew Gallagher, have filed a libel claim against the anonymous artist Banksy over an Instagram post from November 2022. This legal battle has gained attention in recent days due to its potential to unveil Banksy's true identity.

The lawsuit, as reported by the Daily Mail, also attempted to reveal Banksy's name, identifying him as Robin Gunningham. However, this revelation has crucially lacked any new evidence, and the Daily Mail acknowledged that Banksy's identity has never been officially confirmed.

The libel claim originates from a now-deleted Instagram post made by Banksy in November 2022. Full Colour Black alleges that the post contained defamatory content directed towards them, claiming the Instagram post caused “serious harm” and “serious financial loss”. This incident occurred around the same time that the European Union's Intellectual Property Office ruled in favour of Banksy in a trademark dispute against Full Colour Black. The EUIPO decision upheld a trademark registered by Pest Control for a 2002 stencil, securing Banksy's rights to it.

Had the previous EUIPO decision stood, Banksy might have been required to reveal his identity to maintain the trademark. In their current claim, Full Colour Black seeks damages of at least £1,357,086 ($1.6 million) and an injunction against further alleged defamation.

While the Daily Mail linked Banksy to a 2008 photo showing a man identified as Robin Gunningham in Bermuda, the artist has vehemently denied this as his likeness. The newspaper suggested that the lawsuit might compel Banksy to reveal himself in court, but the likelihood remains low since Banksy's legal name has been omitted from court documents, preserving his closely guarded anonymity.