I'm glad this issue came up ... I've been wondering how handle some cards I've already created for personal use, but I haven't submitted them to GCU because I wasn't sure about the model release/copyright infringement rules.  
 
I have a couple of questions in this regard that I'd appreciate your guidance on.
 
1)  I have several family and friend photos that I've personalized as cards to send only to individual(s) in the photo ... I've done this for years from my own little HP printer ... everyone gets a kick out of seeing their photo and my artwork on a greeting card sent to them by mail.  I've been doing this for nearly 10 years, so it's become something of a family/friend tradition.  Obviously, I don't get a model release or worry about copyright infringement on these because I'm not selling them.   I'd love to continue doing this through GCU ... it would make it much easier and faster for me to create the individual card(s) ... and it would be great marketing for GCU.  I would also like to send the bulk of my Christmas cards (both my own GCU cards and those from other Artists) through GCU this year, but again I often use photos taken throughout the year to create individual cards for people.  
 
I've been wondering for a few weeks how to handle this through GCU ... there's a little box on the left side of the Paper Cards page that says "Send a personal photo greeting card"  ... which I think is such a great idea!!! ... but I've wondered (and worried) that if I upload an image for that purpose if it will go into my storefront.   I don't think anyone else would be interested in purchasing cards with photos of my family and friends ... not that they're not attractive and lovely people, but I would not want to have their images for sale to the general public without permission.    
 
So, any guidance on this issue would really help.  I'm assuming that I could upload an individual card image, and if it's accepted, send it to the individual and then delete it from my saved images on the mangement page ... but is that allowed or accepted at GCU?   I also wonder if there is a way to "hide" selected cards from the public storefront without having to delete them from the saved images ... in case either I myself or the recipient would like to buy or send additional copies of that card.
 
2)  Similarly, I take a lot of photos at ballroom dance events and competitions.  Each event usually has very specific rules about what can and cannot be photographed and how those photos can be distributed and/or sold.  I have never sold any of my dance photos, but I have provided the "good ones" to the participants, the studios, and the sponsors of the events in the forms of prints, cds, music slideshows, and posters that they can use for their own personal enjoyment or for marketing to help promote ballroom dancing to the general public.  I am a member of the US Amateur Ballroom Dance Association - DanceUSA, so I follow their guidelines on these matters.
 
I have no wish to sell cards with my original photos of dancers, whether they are friends or strangers, even with a model release.  But I have often taken some of my original photos and created dance artwork from them ... one of which is on my storefront now.  I'm wondering if I should remove that card ???
 
I have about a dozen cards that I've been working to create a series ... one for Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Samba, etc. that I was hoping to put up for sale exclusively on GCU and promote them to other ballroom dancers as well as to the general public.  They would be similar to the one I have up now ... created using an original photo (taken my me, of course) and tracing it in a vector/editing program, then drawing and reoganizing the elements into a finished --and usually quite different -- image than the original photo.  In the one dance card I have for sale on GCU, I basically used the outline of the dancers, and the flow of the woman's dress as the foundation, and re-drew the facial features and other details ... if you look closely, you'll realize I'm not a very good facial artist!  I realize though that the woman looks somewhat like Marilyn Monroe, so if this does present a problem, please let me know and I will remove the card and re-draw the woman and resubmit a new version of the card.  That, of course, if this method of editing photo/artwork is acceptable at GCU.  
 
Gee, Mindy ... sorry to have run on like this, but I'd like to be sure about the rules before investing the time on creating these kinds of cards for GCU if they would in any way be in voilation of the rules and guidelines.  
 
I'm not sure how pertinent my concerns are to other artists, but I'm really hoping that all of us will spread the word about GCU to everyone in our circle ...our family, friends, business associates, and organizations that we're involved ... and the best way I can think to promote the many great cards at GCU from my end is to send GCU cards to the people I know who are card buyers.  I'd like to begin doing this more heavily by the end of this month and early August.
 
Thanks for the opportunity to bring this matter to our attention and clarify what is acceptable and what is not.  Again, if the dance card is a problem, let me know ASAP, and I'll delete it from the storefront immediately.  Thanks again!
 
Teri          
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/squirrelhugger

Please see this article re: the issues around trademarks and their use in user generated content.  The issue is real and has legal ramifications:
 
http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=26979
 
As we have established in our guidelines this applies to the images themselves as well as any text relating to the image; keywords, inner verses, titles, etc.
 

Hi Mindy
 
I'm also glad this topic has come up - I've been trying to do some research on copyright enfringement as I'd like to do a series of cards inspired by famous artisits - such a Hockney, Pollack... The cards will look similar to their style. (I've done one card with a Mondrian influence which I've got in my gallery)
 
The cards would be based on their style and I'd like to use their name as an influence for the card (in the artisits notes and in the search keywords). I'm not passing the cards off as being done by them as I'm not imitating any of their works, just their style. The artisits I'd like to use have not been dead for more than 100 years and their works are not yet in the public domain (like the Mona Lisa) - would I be violating any copyright in doing this?
 
Thanks
Tami

I agree you should be ok by using the style as long as you are not recreating an existing piece of work or same/similar subject matter.
 
A perfect place to put this inspiration is in the Artist's Notes as you suggest.   You should be fine in the keywords as well since the artwork will be inspired by and not a copy or imitation.

Quote from Delores_132508 on Aug 8^th, 2008, 11:34am:

 
I don't know, but if I one day get a letter from Ansel Adams' lawyers because I shoot pictures in his style, I'm honored, I guess.
 
Just kidding.
 
I don't know about painting things, but in taking pictures it probably depends on what you are shooting. And even then. Shooting a still Life that looks like one somebody else has already posted, doesn't mean I got the idea from there or that person got it from me.....
 
In Germany they are trying to push through a law that puts a copyright on public artwork, like fountains and such. After that I wouldn't be able to sell a picture of those objects no more.
 
Insanity starts to rue the world.
 
Sorry for rambling  
 
 

 Hi Norval.. hope you're well today...  People I know have wanted to make paintings from my photographs, but other than that, the issue had never come up... so I looked it up and this is what I found.  Hope it's helpful.
 
http://painting.about.com/cs/artistscopyright/f/copyrightfaq5.htm
 
gina

Norval, that question is answered in the material Gina provided:
"The absence of a copyright notice on a photo doesn’t mean copyright doesn't apply." It's in the last paragraph.
 
Quote from Norval_132688 on Aug 29^th, 2008, 1:05pm: