Originally Posted by
dunster
Personal use really has nothing to do with copyright infringement. Mass marketing is a separate issue. If you copy someone else's original design (note that this must be an original design) then you need to have their permission.
One of the little known and usually disregarded facts about copyright is that you are technically required to get a pattern designer's permission before exhibiting a quilt made from their original design and pattern. Most designers freely give permission, and I haven't heard of any that complained if permission was not given, but you are technically still required to ask.
If the original painting is a masterpiece like Starry Night or the Mona Lisa, it is obviously not under copyright protection, which has a limited time span.
If you get a copy of copyright law and read it, you will see Dunster is correct. Only the copyright owner has the right to
copy the work in any form. That's why it's called
copyright. Whether it is for personal use, for sale, for mass production, etc.---none of that matters. Also, many people mistakenly believe if you change one little thing about the design you may legally infringe on someone elses's copyright. That is not true. According to copyright law, if the piece you create is recognizable as having been derived from the other person's copyrighted item, you are in violation of their copyright.