Copyright protection for a work of art begins from the time the work is created in fixed tangible form. The copyright in a work becomes the property of the painter/artist who created the work. Only the painter/artist or those deriving their rights through the painter/artist can rightfully claim copyright. The mere ownership of a painting does not give the possessor of that work its copyright. The law provides that transfer of ownership of any material object that embodies a protected work does not of itself convey the copyright or any interest in the copyright. This remains in the possession of the creator and is often referred to as the underlying artist’s copyright, distinct from the physical object that embodies it.