For 25 years, Art Loss Register (ALR) has provided a due diligence service for clients looking to unravel the provenance of artworks, and a database of stolen and missing artworks.

Former ALR staffer Chris Marinello left in 2012 to found Art Recovery Group (ARG) which launched in 2015. Since then, the two competing UK-based databases have engaged in a public battle..

ALR made the first move with a claim in the UK’s High Court in July, accusing Marinello and others of “the unlawful establishment and operation” of ARG, citing breach of contract, breach of confidence and “infringement of database rights,” according to The Art Newspaper.

In a new twist, Marinello has reported the ALR to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. He claims “systemic breaches of competition law” by ALR, which he accuses of "implementing a persistent, pervasive and systematic plan to eliminate ARG from the market”. Whether the complaint will be reviewed by the authority is yet to be determined.