Picture Copyright Infringment

[OK]

Say I take a picture (copyrighted) or 3 people. I crop out one persons face and erase the background. Is it still copyrighted? Can I get in trouble for that?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fonzie_007]

If the picture is copyrighted the picture is copyrighted. You can't take whatever portion of it you like. You will need to get permission from the holder of the copyright.

 

[labrocca]

That's called a derivative work and it breaks current copyright law.

That's called a derivative work and it breaks current copyright law.

 

[gr8trfoo]

I think there are things you can do to an existing work that take it beyond "derivative" and make it "original". But I'm no expert in this field.

 

[fonzie_007]

You may be able to use an existing picture if it is for fair-use parody reasons; however, the small amount of literature I have read on this subject makes the argument of parody difficult and unreliable.

 

[smakyyy]

If you change it enough where it cannot be recognised as the original picture but is recognised as a another pictuer then you have a little leevay but if you just erased one face - it still has the 2 other faces and that is still copyright violation.

 

[primacomputer]

The picture is still copyrighted. In fact even if someone gave you permissions to use the picture, to put on your website or whatever, you are not allowed to make alterations to it without their permission.