Recycling greeting cards - copyright violation?

Subject: Re: Recycling greeting cards - copyright violation?

Comments:
: I buy greeting cards and postcards with works of art on them (some public domain, some by living artists) and attach them to decorated plaques. : Usually the original art takes up less that 1/4 of the overall surface but it is the actual, unaltered (I don't paint over them or alter them in any way) greeting or post card, and I affix the artist credits, date painted, and copyright information to the back of the plaque. : Is this considered a derivative work requiring further royalty payments to the artist (or greeting card/postcard publisher, for that matter) or, since I purchased the cards and royalties for that purchase have been paid, am I free to sell these without fear of legal reprisals? : Could this be considered to be akin to a frame shop that purchases mass-produced posters and them sells them framed at a mark-up? Do frame shops pay royalties on their mark-ups or is the copyright obligation satisfied at the point of purchase? : Do greeting card and postcard publishers imply restrictions on resale on the cards they sell? : I'm not sure on how to interpret the law on this. : Any help would be much appreciated, so thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. : Cheers, : CR

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