The respondent artist authorized the reproduction of his paintings on paper posters.
The appellant art galleries purchased these posters and used a chemical process to transfer the ink from the paper onto canvas, which they then sold.
The artist obtained a seizure before judgment of the canvas-backed reproductions, claiming copyright infringement.
The Supreme Court of Canada held that the transfer process did not constitute a 'reproduction' under section 3(1) of the Copyright Act, as no new copies were created.
The Court distinguished between economic rights and moral rights, finding that the artist was improperly asserting a moral right in the guise of an economic right to justify the seizure.
