Is there any process we should follow to determine whether a sufficiently “limited number of copies” of a item exist to determine whether the work is an original visual artwork or not?

If copies are not numbered as with a limited edition print, and there is no other information available to help ascertain how many copies have been made, then you can possibly assume it is not a sufficiently limited number and therefore not a qualifying resale.  The Act does not define what a limited number of copies is, although there is provision in the Copyright Act that a 3 Dimensional artwork that has fewer than 50 copies produced is copyright protectable, so this might be a useful benchmark. We suggest using good faith best efforts to do your due diligence in researching, and keep a record of your research in case it is needed at a future date.  If you have any concerns or want to discuss then please just get in touch with us.