# Fair use question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-question/587421>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 30, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-question/587421 "2011-06-30T19:59:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-question/587421/1 "2011-06-30T19:59:03Z")

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If a editorial cartoonist was to create a cartoon of a political/entertainment figure, a classic ‘public figure’, and instead of drawing the face used a cropped photo with sort of a caricature body would that fall under fair use? Or would it be violating copyright somehow?

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**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fair-use-question/587421/2 "2011-06-30T20:07:33Z")

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The cartoon would be a “derivative work” bu you can license the photo and it would be fine.

ETA: This came up at work a couple years ago when someone was doing some “collage art” to illustrate an editorial piece. We had to license a bunch of photos that were used to create the collage.