[Spines11]

It sure seems like fair use to me, especially since he had his friend draw it, rather than deriving it from the original by putting the original through a pixelating program or something.

It's sad that since the potential losses of going to court are so high, most people have no option other than to settle.

[Fooman]

Just because a reproduction is by hand versus machine doesn't change the fact that it is a copy.

[CamperBob]

What are your thoughts on the question at the bottom of the blog entry, where he gradually reduces the 'copy' to a 2x2-pixel mipmap and asks where the bright line of copyright should be drawn?

[varjag]

Reductio ad absurdum. Despite the Latin name, it's not a proof technique.

[ajuc]

Yes it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum

Examples in math abounds.

[varjag]

You live and you learn. I only knew it as proof by contradiction, didn't realize it's actually the same thing.