Reproduction autographs - are they actually legal?

[that_darn_elf]

I was looking for something else entirely (some DVDs) on an auction site, and this listing popped up

http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/avatar-cast ... 368223.htm

A copy or scan of an autographed poster. I mean they do clearly specify it as such, and not an original, but I didnt know people are allowed to sell scans/ reproductions of autographs?

[jbb1116]

You can sell reproductions, you just have to say they are reproductions and not an authentic autograph

[crisabell]

It is sure ok A reproduction really isn't worth anything to me, or some other people, but when it is on some item such as a photo or poster, it becomes more of a value. It would be really dumb if someone was selling a reproduced signature on an index card. That would be pointless, because you could just sign something yourself, and it would mean the same value to me. But when you add something nice that it printed on, it means much more than if it is just an index card. When say I purchase something with a reproduced autograph, I say to myself, I'm buying it for the item, and the signature is an added bonus. It sure is legal though because lots of teen magazines have posters that have a printed signature on them, and lots of people just buy the magazines for the posters

Hope this helped

Sara

[chriscollector]

Selling a Pre-Print, reproduction, or copy of a signature is 100% fine if it is advertised as such. The illegal part is the photo/poster itself. You cna not make copies of copywrited items. Unless it's a photo taken by the seller, or something they made in PhotoShop it's illegal. A Movie Poster is owned by the parent production company. If I have Al Pacino sign a Scarface poster and keep it, that's fine. Now if I make copies and sell them as a Re-Print I am now selling an illegal item. It all boils down to copywrite.

[woa]

I agree they are illegal and in the USA they are actually contrary to the DMCA. They still get sold on many web based auction sites though.