When You Upload to Bluethumb, You Hand Them a Licence to Use Your Art Wherever They Want

6 July 2026  ·  6 min read

When an artist uploads their work to Bluethumb they are not simply listing it for sale. Under the membership agreement they have signed, they are granting the platform a licence to use images of that artwork across the entire Bluethumb website, in any context Bluethumb chooses.

What does the licence clause say?

From the Bluethumb Membership Agreement:

"By posting an artwork on the Bluethumb website, the Artist gives Bluethumb license to use the image of the artwork throughout the Bluethumb website wherever Bluethumb deems fit."

Source: Bluethumb Membership Agreement

Wherever they deem fit. That is not limited to your listing page. It is not limited to search results. It covers the entire website in any context the platform decides. Your artwork can appear in curations you did not ask to be part of, in promotional campaigns you did not agree to individually, in editorial content produced by Bluethumb for their own marketing purposes. You signed the licence when you uploaded.

Does Bluethumb retain copyright over your artwork?

No. The agreement states that the artist retains all copyright for physical artworks, including reproduction rights, even when the physical property is transferred to a buyer. Copyright remains yours. But the licence to use the image of your artwork on their platform is broad and unconditional.

The distinction matters but it is narrower than it might appear. Copyright means you can take legal action if someone reproduces your work without permission. The licence means Bluethumb already has permission - the permission you granted when you agreed to the membership terms.

What is this licence worth to Bluethumb?

Consider what Bluethumb's marketing operation looks like. Social media posts featuring artist work. Blog content built around artworks in their collection. Email campaigns showcasing pieces from the platform. PR placements in design media featuring works by Bluethumb artists. Television program placements. All of that content uses images of artworks uploaded by artists. All of it is made possible by the licence artists grant on upload.

Bluethumb's brand - the thing that makes collectors trust the platform and return to it - is built substantially on the work of the artists it represents. The platform's marketing is artist work. The licence clause ensures that the platform can use that work to build its own value without seeking additional permission or offering additional compensation for each use.

What about image protection?

Bluethumb does not have a structural image protection system. Images uploaded to the platform are displayed in the standard way - visible in full on screen, susceptible to screenshot and scraping. There is no mechanism preventing the complete image from loading at any given moment.

The agreement grants Bluethumb licence to use your images across their website. It does not grant collectors, scrapers, or third parties any such licence. But those parties do not read membership agreements. The practical reality is that images displayed on Bluethumb are exposed to the same risks as images displayed anywhere else online - with no structural protection in place to prevent them being taken.

Solene Haus displays every artwork through HAUS Shield - a grid system that prevents the complete image from ever loading on screen at any moment, making the work explorable by genuine collectors but structurally impossible to scrape or screenshot whole. The difference is not incidental. It is the platform's fundamental position on whose interests matter more - the collector's convenience or the artist's security.

Frequently asked questions

Does Bluethumb own my artwork images after I upload them?

No. You retain copyright. But by uploading you grant Bluethumb a licence to use the images throughout their website wherever they deem fit. Source: Bluethumb Membership Agreement.

Can I revoke the image licence if I leave Bluethumb?

The agreement states that upon termination of the membership, rights granted to Bluethumb immediately revert to the artist. However it also notes that Bluethumb reserves the right to remove and delete all data and images from its databases post-termination, suggesting the licence would not survive the end of the membership relationship in practice.

Does Solene Haus require a similar licence?

Solene Haus uses artwork images to display work to collectors through HAUS Shield. The platform does not require a broad licence to use artwork images wherever it deems fit across its marketing activities.

Solene Haus

The art world you deserved.

Zero commission. HAUS Shield image protection. Collector relationships that belong to you.