FAQ’S

How long does an organization have a right to use an artist's image on a greeting card?

Situation: A few years ago, Amnesty International printed cards from some artist?s paintings with their agreement, some verbal and some under contract. No money was paid to the artists, though the cards sold extremely well. Since some of the artists did not sign a contract, a number of these artists were wondering when they can have their own cards printed from the same paintings and sell them themselves, either to a greeting card company, or on their own?

Note disclaimer at the bottom of this page. CARFAC recommends that artists always have a contract when licensing their images for uses like this. That contract would spell out the parameters and, therefore, answer all these questions.

Some of those artists, who did this under contract, worked out an arrangement to be given a box of each of the designs used, most likely at cost, which then could be sold by the artists.

Those artists, who did not use a contract, still own the copyright to these images (unless it was specifically sold or assigned). Therefore, those artists are free to reproduce them any time. An option is, if the artist was happy with Amnesty's colour reproduction, to ask them for a copy of the original scans. That would save a bit of money.

This page is continually under construction.

Disclaimer: CARFAC BC is an organization run by volunteers, in essence, artists working for artists. These Frequently Asked Questions are produced by CARFAC BC as an informational service to provide a summary of issues of interest to practising visual artists. They are intended to be used as guidelines, not to replace professional advice, which may be required before taking action. CARFAC BC cannot assume liability for problems that may arise from their use or for any errors or omissions contained herein. Views expressed on this site are not necessarily those of CARFAC BC.