Can I paint and sell a photo by a famous photographer that I found on the Web?

Can I paint and sell a picture of Willie Nelson from a photo by Annie Leibovitz that I found on Google image search? Am I copyright infringing?

Michael on May 30, 2012

You could probably paint a photo for your own personal use (not on the Internet) as this might be “fair use.” But don’t sell your painting as the photographer has rights to your derivative work. See the Shepard Fairey Hope poster lawsuit for a case in point.

painting photos

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