Listing Standards

Custom Canvas sells original physical artwork by living, local artists, made by the person selling it. This document says what that means, what you must tell buyers, and what is not accepted. It is referenced by the Artist Agreement and binding on every listing.

Local artist. For purposes of Custom Canvas, a "local artist" is an artist who resides, maintains a working studio, or regularly creates artwork within a community currently served by the Platform. An artist must accurately identify the community with which the artist has a genuine connection.

Custom Canvas may request reasonable evidence of location but does not guarantee or continuously verify every artist's residence or studio address. An artist may not falsely claim a community connection to obtain search placement or buyer trust.

---

Part one — describing your work

What every listing must state

• What it is — original, numbered edition, open edition, or reproduction/print
• Medium and support — e.g. oil on canvas, screenprint on paper
• Dimensions, and depth where relevant
• Year made
• Condition — any damage, repair, restoration, or material aging
• Edition details, where applicable — edition size, this piece's number, whether signed, whether the plate or file has been destroyed or retired

Where applicable, every listing must also disclose:

• substantial weight or special mounting requirements;
• glass, sharp edges, unstable components, or breakable materials;
• toxic, flammable, organic, electrical, magnetic, or otherwise hazardous components;
• professional installation or special handling requirements;
• restrictions on indoor, outdoor, humid, heated, or sunlight-exposed display;
• known allergens or materials reasonably likely to affect health or safety; and
• any legally required warning, label, or shipping restriction.

The words we hold you to

• Original — a unique physical artwork created by the listing artist, or under the artist's disclosed creative direction, that is not one of multiple substantially identical copies. Any studio assistance, fabrication, printing, casting, or digital production material to the buyer's understanding must be disclosed.
• Limited edition — a stated and permanently limited number of authorized impressions or objects. The listing must disclose the total edition size, the number of the item offered, whether artist proofs or other editions exist, and whether the work is signed.
• Open edition, print, or reproduction — a copy or impression not limited to a fixed edition. The title or first displayed line must clearly identify it as a print or reproduction. It may not be described or presented as a unique original.
• Studio assistance — if others worked on the piece under your direction, say so.
• Found or assembled materials — if the work incorporates another maker's object or image, say so, and confirm you have the right to use it.

Describing a reproduction as an original is grounds for immediate removal and account closure.

Handmade variation is not misdescription

Color, texture and finish vary from a photograph. That is the nature of the work and is not a defect. A wrong medium, a wrong size, an undisclosed repair or a print sold as an original is a different thing entirely, and is treated as one.

Part two — AI-generated and AI-assisted work

Custom Canvas sells work made by people.

Custom Canvas does not permit artwork that Custom Canvas reasonably determines was primarily generated by an artificial-intelligence system without sufficient human creative contribution. This is a marketplace eligibility rule and is not a legal determination regarding copyrightability.

Material use of generative artificial intelligence must be clearly disclosed in the listing. The disclosure must identify the general nature of the AI use and describe the artist's human creative contribution. Where a generative tool was one step inside a piece you authored — reference, ideation, or an element you then painted, printed, cut or worked over — that is the kind of use this disclosure is for.

You remain responsible for ensuring that prompts, inputs, training materials supplied by you, outputs, incorporated elements, and the resulting artwork do not infringe or misuse another person's rights.

Custom Canvas may request reasonable supporting information and may remove artwork when the human contribution, disclosure, or ownership rights cannot be adequately established.

The line is drawn between generated and assisted rather than banning AI outright because an outright ban would sweep in ordinary digital tools, while undisclosed generated work would put Custom Canvas in the business of selling something other than local original art. Disclosure protects you as much as the buyer.

Part three — what is not accepted

Prohibited outright

Misrepresented work

• Forgeries, and work falsely attributed to another artist
• Reproductions or prints presented as originals
• Work you did not make and do not have the right to sell
• Stolen work, or work with an undisclosed lien or competing claim

Infringing work

• Work that infringes copyright, trademark, or the right of publicity — including unlicensed use of characters, logos, brands, or a person's likeness
• Work made from another artist's image without permission

Illegal or dangerous

• Anything unlawful to sell or ship
• Human remains; protected wildlife, ivory, or materials restricted under CITES or the Endangered Species Act — a live risk in mixed-media and assemblage work
• Hazardous materials that cannot lawfully be shipped
• Weapons, drugs and paraphernalia, or work incorporating them

Hateful or exploitative

• Work promoting hatred or violence against people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation
• Any sexual depiction of a minor, or work sexualizing a real identifiable person without consent

Not artwork

• Mass-produced goods, dropshipped items, or resold merchandise
• Work by someone other than you, including estate, vintage and secondary-market pieces
• Purely digital goods, NFTs, or tokenized representations of work
• Services, gift cards, or anything not a physical object
• Primarily AI-generated work, as described in part two

Restricted — allowed with conditions

Part four — what Custom Canvas does and does not do

Custom Canvas may review artist profiles, listings, photographs, descriptions, and reported concerns. This review is intended to enforce marketplace eligibility and content standards.

Unless Custom Canvas expressly provides a separate written certification, its review is not:

• an appraisal;
• an authentication;
• a title or lien search;
• a physical inspection;
• a legal opinion regarding ownership or infringement;
• verification of provenance; or
• a guarantee of an artist's identity, location, skill, reputation, or future conduct.

Approval, publication, promotion, or placement of a listing does not constitute an endorsement or warranty by Custom Canvas. No listing on Custom Canvas is a guarantee of authenticity.

Part five — enforcement

Depending on severity we may remove a listing, hold or reverse a payout on an affected sale, suspend a shop, or close an account. Serious cases — forgery, stolen work, illegal material — mean immediate closure and, where appropriate, a report to the authorities.

Where practical we explain what was wrong and give you a chance to respond.

Custom Canvas may request photographs, creation records, receipts, edition records, source licenses, identity information, provenance documentation, or other reasonable evidence regarding a listing.

Failure to provide requested evidence does not necessarily establish infringement or fraud, but Custom Canvas may remove or restrict a listing when it cannot reasonably verify compliance with these Standards.

Custom Canvas may preserve relevant records and cooperate with payment processors, rights holders, carriers, insurers, courts, or law-enforcement authorities when legally permitted or required.

Where we substantiate a misdescription on a completed sale, we will refund the buyer whether or not the artist agrees, including the buyer's service fee. An artist's discretion covers a buyer who changed their mind; it does not cover a piece that was not what the listing said it was. This is stated the same way in the Terms of Sale, the Shipping, Returns & Refunds Policy and Artist Agreement §8.

Reporting a problem

Write to support@customcanvas.shop with the listing URL and what you believe is wrong. For a copyright claim, use the DMCA & Copyright Policy instead: a DMCA notice addresses ownership of an image, while this policy addresses whether a piece is what it claims to be. Different problem, different process.

Resale and royalties

Custom Canvas is a primary market. We do not operate a resale market and do not administer resale royalties. Buying a piece transfers the object, not its copyright.

Questions: support@customcanvas.shop