Copyrighted material for Artistic purposes

[porschepear]

What is the name of your state? Washington


HOW CAN I GET PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FOR ARTISTIC PURPOSES.
I am a budding interior decorator/painter and am wondering if it is legal to take an artistic illustration from a book, rework it slightly (changing the image placement on computer, printing it, then painting the background) to frame for my clients house. I am pretty sure I need to obtain copyright permission to do this since the client would pay me, but how? Most copyright permission forms assume I am asking to reprint this material in another book or pamphlet. How can I get permission to reproduce copyright material purely for artistic purposes. Or, is it even necessary for me to obtain copyright permission from the publisher of the book since I would be doing my own thing with it?

 

[divgradcurl]

"Or, is it even necessary for me to obtain copyright permission from the publisher of the book since I would be doing my own thing with it?"

Yes. One of the 5 fundamental rights you get with a copyright is the right to control the creation of "derivative works." What you are describing is clearly a derivative work.

"I am pretty sure I need to obtain copyright permission to do this since the client would pay me, but how? "

The 'client would pay me' is actually not really relevant -- even if you did it for free you would need permission. Contact the publisher of the book where the image is located, they should be able to help you get in touch with the person who actually owns the copyright.

"Most copyright permission forms assume I am asking to reprint this material in another book or pamphlet"

That's right. This is why you need to get in touch with the actual copyright holder -- most likely, the artist who created the work initially. The book publisher is unlikely to hold the copyright -- most likely they simply hold a license to control reproduction and distribution, but do not hold a license to control the other copyright rights.