On May 22, 2006, at 12:19 PM, Stan Shebs wrote:
If the artists references multiple photographs and produces an image of Han Solo where Han is standing in a pose different from any of the photographs, or in a different or neutral setting, then it's not a derivative work of any one photograph.
*Still* not off the hook! The copyright covers any sort of depiction of the character, irrespective of the mechanics of production. For instance, a Han Solo action figure is not an exact reproduction of any screenshot from the movie, but it can only be legally sold under license from the moviemaker. Ditto for 3D meshes and textures ending up in a Star Wars-themed video game. As I said in another message, the pros at this are wise to all kinds of trickery, and there is case law for a remarkable variety of attempts to find loopholes.
Well, I guess that's that then. No images of Han Solo. (But images of Harrison Ford are okay for [[Harrison Ford]]?)