Copyright Questions: Image Transformation

This is one of a series of questions submitted by attendees of the Copyright, Common Mistakes and Myths Webinar and answered by Laura N. Gasaway, author of Pocket Copyright Guide for Publishers.

Question: Regarding fair use, to what extent must an image be transformed to be clear of copyright?

Answer: Courts are struggling with this right now, so there is no definitive quantity, etc. The best way I know to describe the amount of transformation that must take place for a photograph is a whole lot! Almost so much that it no longer resembles the original image. So, cropping the photo is not enough or using only a portion, such as the central figure or central building, etc., would not be enough.  

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