That used to be the case but rules have changed.joejinky wrote:Again, I am NOT a lawyer. however I do believe that if you change the design of something by "greater than 10%" you have effectively created something "new" and you have not violated any copyright.
If it looks like a (Mickey) mouse, it squeeks like a mouse and it walks like a mouse, then it is a mouse.
In other words, if it is recognizable as the original, then it is an original.
Also, there is a difference between copyright of a non-descript picture and a registered trademark.
Most logos are registered trademarks and no matter how much you change them, if they are recognizable as the trademark, then it is copyright infringement.
Bear in mind that a lot of non- trademark stuff found on the internet have been deliberately put in the public domain and is free to reproduce.
Some pictures with watermarks (think Shutterstock) on them are not even worthy of being pirated
Some are marked "royalty free" that does not mean one can copy them at will, permission to use is still necessary, which is a load of Cxxx