Certificate of Authenticity & Copyright Policy
Last Updated: 29 July 2026
1. Overview
Every eligible original artwork sold by 3 Howto is created by hand by the artist and is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
The Certificate of Authenticity verifies that the artwork is an original artistic creation produced by the artist and sold by 3 Howto.
The Certificate of Authenticity confirms the authenticity of the physical artwork only. It does not transfer or assign any copyright, intellectual property rights, licensing rights, or commercial rights to the purchaser.
2. Purpose of the Certificate of Authenticity
The Certificate of Authenticity is issued to:
- verify the authenticity of the original artwork;
- identify the artwork created by the artist;
- provide confidence to collectors regarding the artwork’s origin;
- assist with future provenance and collection records.
The Certificate of Authenticity should be retained by the purchaser as part of the artwork’s permanent documentation.
3. Ownership of the Physical Artwork
When purchasing an original artwork, the buyer becomes the owner of the physical artwork only.
Ownership of the physical artwork does not include ownership of:
- copyright;
- intellectual property rights;
- trademark rights;
- reproduction rights;
- publishing rights;
- licensing rights;
- digital rights;
- commercial rights;
- moral rights where protected by law.
Unless expressly agreed in writing, all intellectual property rights remain the exclusive property of the artist.
4. Copyright Ownership
All original artworks remain protected by copyright under applicable Australian and international copyright laws.
The artist retains exclusive ownership of all copyright and intellectual property rights in every artwork, regardless of the sale of the original physical artwork.
This includes, but is not limited to, the exclusive right to:
- reproduce the artwork in any format;
- publish or display the artwork;
- create prints or reproductions;
- create derivative artworks;
- license the artwork;
- use the artwork in books, exhibitions, websites, videos, advertising, or publications;
- create greeting cards, bookmarks, stationery, calendars, home décor, textiles, digital products, or other merchandise based on the artwork;
- authorise others to use the artwork.
Purchasing an artwork does not transfer any of these rights.
5. Artist’s Continuing Rights
The artist reserves the right to:
- create additional artworks with similar themes, colours, compositions, or subjects;
- produce derivative artistic works;
- create limited or open editions;
- use photographs of the artwork for exhibitions, portfolios, competitions, publications, websites, social media, and promotional purposes;
- license the artwork for future projects.
The purchaser acknowledges and agrees that these rights remain exclusively with the artist unless otherwise agreed in writing.
6. Permitted Personal Use
The purchaser may:
- display the original artwork in a home or private collection;
- gift or resell the original physical artwork together with its Certificate of Authenticity;
- include photographs of the artwork for non-commercial purposes, such as personal social media posts, provided the artwork is not altered and appropriate credit is given where practical.
These permissions do not transfer copyright or any commercial rights.
7. Prohibited Uses
Without the artist’s prior written permission, the purchaser must not:
- reproduce the artwork in any form;
- scan, copy, photograph, or digitally reproduce the artwork for commercial purposes;
- print or manufacture products using the artwork;
- create derivative works based on the artwork;
- modify or adapt the artwork for commercial use;
- use the artwork as a logo, brand, trademark, or business identity;
- use the artwork in advertising, marketing, packaging, or promotional materials;
- licence or sublicense the artwork to another party;
- sell or distribute digital copies of the artwork.
8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
The artist expressly prohibits the use of any artwork, image, photograph, scan, video, or digital representation of the artwork for the purpose of:
- training artificial intelligence (AI) models;
- training machine learning systems;
- developing generative AI technologies;
- creating AI-generated images;
- image-to-image generation;
- style transfer systems;
- dataset creation;
- data mining;
- algorithm development;
- model fine-tuning;
- automated content generation.
The purchaser must not upload, submit, or allow the artwork to be used by any AI platform, dataset, or training system without the artist’s prior written permission.
This restriction applies whether the use is commercial, research, educational, or personal, unless such restriction is prohibited by applicable law.
9. Commercial Use and Derivative Products
Original artworks purchased from 3 Howto are intended for personal enjoyment, display, and collection.
Unless the artist provides prior written authorisation, purchasers may not use the artwork to develop or produce products for sale or commercial distribution.
Prohibited commercial uses include, but are not limited to:
- prints;
- posters;
- greeting cards;
- calendars;
- bookmarks;
- clothing;
- textiles;
- fabric;
- jewellery;
- stickers;
- phone cases;
- mugs;
- home décor;
- packaging;
- digital downloads;
- NFTs or blockchain-based digital assets where applicable;
- templates;
- commercial illustrations;
- any other products or merchandise derived from the artwork.
Any commercial use requires a separate written licence from the artist.
10. Permission Requests
If you wish to:
- reproduce an artwork;
- publish an image of an artwork;
- create derivative works;
- use the artwork commercially;
- include the artwork in publications;
- use the artwork in educational materials;
- develop products based on the artwork;
- use the artwork for AI-related purposes where permission may be granted;
you must obtain the artist’s prior written permission.
Granting or refusing permission is entirely at the artist’s discretion.
Any licence granted will apply only to the specific use described in writing and does not constitute a transfer of copyright ownership.
11. Transfer of Ownership
The owner of the physical artwork may sell or gift the original artwork to another person.
Where possible, the Certificate of Authenticity should accompany the artwork to help preserve its provenance.
The transfer of the physical artwork does not transfer copyright or any intellectual property rights.
12. Misuse and Infringement
Unauthorised reproduction, commercial exploitation, AI training, creation of derivative products, or other infringement of the artist’s copyright or intellectual property rights may result in legal action, including claims for injunctions, damages, and other remedies available under applicable law.
3 Howto reserves all rights to protect the artist’s creative works and intellectual property.
13. Contact
If you wish to request permission to reproduce, license, publish, commercially use, or otherwise use any artwork beyond the limited permissions described in this policy, please contact us through the Contact page on:
We appreciate your support for original art and for respecting the artist’s creative rights and intellectual property.