Happy World Intellectual Property Day everyone!

This blog post will introduce some of the rules around intellectual property and why they are relevant to canvas prints.

World Intellectual Property Day takes place every April 26^th and aims to celebrate the work of innovators of all kind and highlight the importance of protecting their efforts through awareness and adherence to IP laws such as copyright, which are different from country to country.

When you order personalised canvas prints with Parrotprint you are able to upload photos from Facebook or Instagram or from your computer and these should be images that you own the copyright to or have permission to use. Of course, it’s not just original photographs that can be used in canvas prints – we see some incredibly creative designs that incorporate quotes from movies and images that have been re-worked in Photoshop too. There are rules surrounding the production of these type of prints too. Certainly if you plan to sell any of your canvas print creations you should be especially aware of whether the elements of your print are free to usIn the UK copyright generally applies to paintings, quotes from literature and song lyrics for 70 years after the death of the creator, though in some instances this may be extended and passed on to the artist’s estate. This means if you are incorporating song lyrics into your canvas print or quoting a poem or a section of a book, it’s generally safer to use classic works of literature or something that’s from deep in the music back catalogue. If you plan to use a saying or quote, it’s fine to use something that’s accepted as being in the public domain that is perhaps such an established day-to-day saying that it’s not attributed to one particular person. However, if you wanted to start producing canvas prints that featured a photograph of a famous athlete along with a quote they’ve said in the past and then put their name to it, you’d be in muddier waters. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you asking permission to use any of these types of art, though you might surprise yourself with what is freely available for use too.

In the case of photography, copyright usually lies with the photographer, unless he has agreed to pass those rights over to a publication or person(s) he works for or has been commissioned by. You can find lots of images online that are free to use for art, just remember to check the rights extend to commercial use if you’re planning to sell any of your canvas prints as wall art.

Some of the best canvas prints we make for customers are utterly unique and perhaps this is the key message on Intellectual Property Day. If you’re giving a canvas print as a gift the sentimental values lies in sharing a view that you and the recipient have enjoyed or writing a special poem to fit with a photograph that will stir a memory.  Not sure if something is out of copyright? You’ll find this a helpful tool.

Do you use the work of other artists in your canvas prints or do you like to use your own images and words?