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Answer to Question 4

By Bobbie Peachey, About.com Guide

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Answer to Question 4:

  • I have heard that if you change a logo by 20%, you can use it legally...is this true?


  • By 20%? I have also heard that if you change one line of an art painting, or a piece of clip art, you can call it a new art painting or a new clip art. That is not true. The original artist MAY have the right to change one line or 20 percent of a painting and call it a new painting but no one else has that right. All rules that apply to off Internet copyright also apply to any content (clip art, music, books, etc.) on the Internet.

    I am not an attorney nor do I know copyright law but I would say that the 20 percent rule that you heard was NOT on a site about copyright law. I don't know what logo you want to change and use as your own and I do not know if you are wanting to use a famous business or product.

    I would suggest that you read up on copyright law before changing and using a copyrighted logo. You might also think about asking the original owner of the copyrighted piece (that you changed) if the changed form would be an infringment on their copyrighted image. I have some links to Copyright Resources (as well as a few short articles) that you might want to browse.

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