Copyright Policy and Process

Copyright policy

From traditional techniques of the old masters to modern abstracts, these iconic art periods have set the stage for contemporary artists to inspire and develop their own work. As a contemporary global marketplace, we know that many of our artists are inspired by the greats. 

With this in mind, we do not accept artist copyright claims based solely on similarities in style, subject, medium or colour palette. 

Inspiration vs copyright

However, there have been some rare occasions where artists have directly copied the composition, style and colour palette of another artist’s work. We do not tolerate blatant copying of art and as per section 2.5 of our Terms and Conditions, where compelling evidence has been provided, Artfinder has the right to remove artists who we believe to be violating copyright.

If you feel another Artfinder artist has directly infringed a particular piece on your own Artfinder store, we kindly ask you to follow our copyright claims process below. 

Serving a global community

It might be worth noting that our community comes in all shapes and sizes, from abstract expressionist painters to bronze sculptors and everything in-between. Our in-house reviews team and expert curatorial board are always on the hunt for new and interesting ideas and concepts, as highlighted in our Artistic Quality Guidelines here.

We love that the platform provides a place for you to communicate and be inspired by one another, but everyone needs to respect each other and each other's work.

Therefore we encourage all artists to keep honing their own style and technique, regardless of whether they’re an emerging or established artist, art school-educated or self-taught. Celebrating originality is at the core of what we do and we love discovering hidden art forms we’ve never seen before!

Useful copyright resources

We highly recommend visiting DACS, a not-for-profit online resource for copyright licensing, resale rights and advice. You can visit their website here. 

Copyright claims process

Artfinder reserves the right to remove from the Platform at any time and at its sole discretion any Content or Artwork Listings that infringe the copyright of others. Artfinder also has the right to remove the accounts of sellers who we believe to be infringing copyright laws, which includes infringing copyright of artists on and off the website.

What to do if you have a claim against an Artfinder seller

If you think that your copyright has been infringed by a seller listed on Artfinder, here are the steps to follow. Please note you must be the copyright owner or a legal representative in order to file a claim.

1. Contact the seller whose work you believe infringes your copyright and include the following information:
   • A statement about how you believe the artwork infringes your copyright.
   • Provide information (artwork title, medium, size, date artwork was produced) and a URL of the artists’ artwork you believe infringes your copyright.
   • Provide information (Artwork title, medium, size) and a URL to your artwork — or an image of the work if it has been removed from the site — that you believe is being copied.
2. If after seven days the seller in question has not responded, please use this form to submit your claim and supporting documentation.

Once we receive the documentation as per point 2, we will discuss the work in question amongst the team and curatorial board, and get back to you with a decision within 30 days.

Please note: If you fill in the form through the above link before reaching out to the seller, we will ask you to contact them first, as per point 1. Our data shows that most cases are resolved by contacting the seller directly.

What happens next?

If we decide that the artwork does infringe copyright, we will inform you and the seller in question by email and the piece will be removed from the site. If a seller continues to infringe copyright, we reserve the right to remove them completely from the site at our sole discretion.

If we decide the artwork does not infringe copyright, we will inform you and the seller in question and take no further action.

If you're not happy with our decision

If you are not happy with the final outcome, you are of course free to take the matter further. However, we do feel it’s our duty to advise that this can be an expensive process. See the “Useful copyright resources” section above for further information.

If after having taken legal advice you are able to provide the appropriate legal documents demonstrating an infringement of copyright, we will inform the offending seller and remove the artwork in question.

Please note: claims against sellers on the site aren’t claims against Artfinder. Artfinder cannot replace judicial institutions that deal with such matters. However, we will strive to resolve infringement claims to the best of our abilities and resources, including removing offending artworks or seller accounts from the site if necessary.