Limited Editions
A piece of art may be reproduced under limits undertaken by the nations, according to the Helsinki Covenant concerning the subject. An artist's creation is protected by the law as his intellectual property that may not be violated, copied in part or as a whole, printed or sold without his permission. On the other hand, the person who rightfully purchased a unique original work of art is also defended. He should not lose the value of his acquisition by the appearance of an uncontrolled number of copies of the same piece.
Therefore, the Helsinki Covenant sets rules for the reproduction of art.
An artwork may be reproduced as a limited edition, and the number of copies cannot exceed 500. The number of copies is set before the printing is done (the smaller the number, the more prestigious it is), and plates should be destroyed when the pre-fixed amount has been executed. Every copy is signed and numbered by the artist, with the number of the specific copy as one of the printed amount (for example, 1/99 is the first copy out of 99).
Beyond this limit, 10% extra are allowed as the artist's proof (AP) and another 10% as the printer's proof (PP). An old tradition, from medieval ages, demands another 5%, marked HC, Haut Commerce, for the guild to which the artist belongs.
The same rules, adapted to materials other than canvas and paper, apply to sculpture, pottery, or any other form of art.
