Using a celebrity photo for Photoshop item ?

[graphixtech]

Not sure where to find the answer to this, so will try to pick brains of someone here. Appreciate any and all information.

I am involved as the graphic designer of a nonprofit political group. We are wanting to quickly create a t-shirt depicting an infamous celebrity on a specific national landscape. Great fun to design and photoshop. However, we are not familiar with the laws regarding public photos of celebrities.

Can I use photos that the celebrity's publicists put out? Does it make a difference if the photo is nearly unrecognizable?

Thanks in advance for any help

.;)

[asthmaticeog]

1. Fair use is still valid.

Any public figure is fair game for parody or ridicule. The SCOTUS cases that apply here are Flynt vs Falwell and Campbell vs Acuff-Rose. Look 'em up if you want to. Publicists headshots are the best to use, actually, since by using those you're not stepping on an independent photographer or news-gathering service's copyright, plus they're generally the most recognizable shots anyway. Have fun.