Framing of Calendar Pages...

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Madairy

Grumbler in Training
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May 22, 2005
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Hello everyone,

Need some advice for a customer of mine. She purchased what she thought to be original signed photographs from another gallery. She then brought the "photos" to me to be framed. They were shrink wrapped and matted when I received them. When time came to open them up to frame them it revealed that they were not authentic photos but calander pages. Am I allowed to frame them for her? I also understand that this is considered to be copyright infringement on the part of the other gallery. If so, what recourse does my customer have?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most helpful!

Thanks,
Jay
 
At the very least, it's time to talk to your customer. They are the "victum" here, and it's up to them to perform "do dilligence" and follow up with the other gallery...

But if they want to just blow it off, frame it up.
 
The people who sold them as real photographs would be the ones who should be concerned about copyright infringement. If a consumer buys a calendar they can surely do what they want with it including framing the images. But, a business selling the images from a calendar as a real photo are being deceptive for sure.

I'd be sure the customer knows of your findings before you frame them. They can then approach the people they bought them from.

I've opened many a shrink wrapped package and found the very same thing. Sometimes the customer knows and sometimes they don't. Generally, they don't care because they haven't paid much for it anyway.

Good luck, and welcome to the Grumble!
 
We too have seen this. Some calanders will say on them that they can't be used in any other form, others do not.
I am inclined to believe if it dosn't say so on the calander it's probably alright but....
I agree inform the customer!

Elsa
 
Did the other store TELL the customer that they were original signed photos or did she make that assumption on her own?

People often think what they want to without much help from anyone. I wouldn't be too quick to condemn the other store.

I've framed hundreds of calendar prints and have never had a customer say, "I thought that was a Van Gogh when I bought it!"
 
Thank you all for the advice. I felt that it was my duty to inform my customer. According to my customer she purchased them with the understanding that they were original signed photos. I have since informed her and she is taking the bull by the horns.... Obviously upset. They were'nt expensive for her but she is aparently upset by the deception. I'll keep you posted... Thanks again!
 
Who signed them?
shrug.gif
To me this tells a great deal of the story.

Maybe the other gallery was duped?

I have opened many signed and numbered 'prints' that were actually postcards or the front half of a notecard. These were likely done by (and signed by) the artist themselves.

Unless the signature was a fraud. But that would be a whole other plot.
 
We have had much of this through our doors lately. Before we design... as the person is waxing with delight at their great steal... we gently ask "where the letter of authenticity is?"....
faintthud.gif


90% of the time, the customer has come off their "I'm going to impress you because you think I got this original Ansel Adams for next to nothing, so you can give me that horrably expensive framing for next to nothing for the chance to frame this piece of inkjet printed paper."

Then we are just talking what they want in framing. Kinda clears the air. :D
 
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