: How does copyright apply to a collage of random images from the Internet? If I take a bunch of random/misc. images I have gathered from the internet over time (I don't even know their original

@Murray976

There is no such thing as "edit things enough and it's okay." This isa very common misconception.

If you wish to "edit so it's okay" then you need to edit to the extent that the original image(s) are completely unrecognizable. And, at that point, what's the purpose of using the imagery to begin with?

It's always better to assume you do not have the right to use an image and seek direct, written permission from the creator for the use you wish. Realize some artists/designers/photographers may simply not want to support your venture.

There are avenues to find images where are permitted for use.

There are questions here regarding it:

How do I know which images are copyrighted and not?

And there are even questions with some resources:

Where can I get images for commercial use?

In short, there are avenues for images which you can legally use. There's little point to infringing upon the property rights of others.

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@Heady304

I do believe this would fall under what would be considered a "derivative work".

Though the new image consists of copyright protected material, this derivative work is an amalgamation of the originals, and so long as it does not (a) directly infringe on another artists creation and (b) any single image within the collage does not implicity compete with the original due to it's prominence within the collage, you should be safe.

However, I am not a lawyer so this is simply my interpretation of the law and how derivatives work.

A common example of a protected work that is a derivative:



You can look into this term and find a whole host of information to assist you in making your final decision.

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