copyright or not?

[daftun]

Hi i hope someone can answer this please. I admire and love another artists style and the style is quite unique my question is if i paint a picture in the same style is this classed as copyright or is it only just copyright if i actually copy their painting and not just the style.
Della.:D

[timelady]

Style isn't copyright. :) For example I've done teapot paintings (long ago...) in the style of Hockney. As far as I know Hockney hasn't painted teapots. ;) so I'm okay on that one.

Tina.

[Dallen]

Hi i hope someone can answer this please. I admire and love another artists style and the style is quite unique my question is if i paint a picture in the same style is this classed as copyright or is it only just copyright if i actually copy their painting and not just the style.
Della.:D

Della, by your question, it sounds as if you do not quite know what a Copyright is. I think what you meant was would you be "Infringing on a Copyright" Infringing is when you trespass on someone elses artwork right, or "borrow without permission". A Copyright is a license to the work you have created or hired someone to create.

There are 2 Kinds of Copyright - A Copyright is like a written, goverment issued birth certificate or ownership papers that are made when you register something you create in art, words, music, sculptiure etc.

An Informal Coryright is one that is NOT registered with the goverenment, and does not really protect the creator of a pieces of workm it is also called an "automatic Copyright" and belongs to the artist from the mmoment they make something, but this type of Copyright is hard to prove and carries little weight in court.

In the US, Copyrights are granted by the Library of Congress, Copyright Office. www.loc.gov

Dallen

[timelady]

As Della is in the UK, the Library of Congress isn't the best stop. :) The UK government's website has information about registration - but it isn't required. http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/ The laws are pretty much the same, it's just that you'd register in the country of origin I think. Yes, it's easier to pursue a case with registration but if you infringe on someone's copyright they could still proceed without it (and there are groups in the UK that will help member artists with this, such as ACID and DACS).

[sks]

I would consider style could be interpreted as technique also and I don't thinks artists have any qualms about using others techniques. Isn't that what instructors do - teach us style and technique.
Or am I off in left field here - just my opinion

[daftun]

thankyou all for the replys it was really helpful,
Della.:D