Answer by Chalmers Brown: Can i sell iconic images of celebrities with their heads painted over on my online store?Is this a copyright violation or legal appropriation?

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Can i sell iconic images of celebrities with their heads painted over on my online store?Is this a copyright violation or legal appropriation?

- I want to create a series of paintings using the bodies of celebrities and paint over their heads with random animals - The bodies of celebrities will be the same, but their heads will be completely different and so will the backgrounds. Imagine an iconic Marilyn Monroe photo with your own head replacing hers. Regardless if you are male or female - Is this copyright infringement? - If yes, Is there a way to get around the copyright infringement? - I want to mostly sell in the US, UK and AUSTRALIA I really appreciate your assistance here, means a lot! Tas

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Chalmers Brown Techstars-backed Founder & Engineer

I am not a lawyer and you should talk to a lawyer for professional legal advice. That being said, I would assume you won't run into any issues because you are creating original art instead of taking art someone else made and passing it off as your own. There is a chance the celebrities you paint will be delighted and actually share your work within their online communities! Let me know if you want to chat more about getting this up and running.

Answered 5 years ago