Within the framework of copyright law and intellectual property law, any unauthorized direct copying or imitation of the original design of others may constitute infringement. The following are some legal and ethical workarounds designed to help creators make reasonable innovations based on respect for originality, but it should be noted: **Legal risks always exist, and specific cases must be subject to professional legal opinions.**. --- ### 1. **Follow the principle of ”fair use"** -**Applicable scenarios**: Non-commercial purposes such as commentary, teaching, research, or news reporting. -**Operation skills**： - Indicate the original author and source when using it. -Reference only the necessary parts (for example, take a small part of the design for analysis). -Give new meaning through secondary creation (such as satire, criticism, or deconstruction). -**Note**: Commercial use is usually not within the scope of reasonable use, so careful evaluation is required. --- ### 2. **Abstraction and essential modification** -**Core principle**: Through "substantial changes”, the new work is significantly different from the original work. -**Operation skills**： -**Deconstruction and reorganization**: Split design elements (such as colors, lines, and shapes) and reassemble them into a new structure. -**Style conversion**: Convert elements into different artistic styles (such as simplifying realistic graphics into a flat design). -**Functional adjustment**: Change the purpose of the design (such as transforming decorative patterns into functional icons). -**Judgment criteria**: Whether ordinary observers can clearly perceive the difference between the two. --- ### 3. **Draw on “design principles” rather than specific elements** -**Method**: Learn the underlying logic of the original work (such as color scheme, proportional relationship, typesetting rules), rather than directly copying visual elements. -**Case**： -Imitate the minimalist style of Apple design, but use original icons and layout. -Refer to the golden section composition of a poster, but replace all graphics and fonts. --- ### 4. **Use public domain or open source resources** -**Legal source**： -**Public Domain (Public Domain)**: Works whose copyright has expired (such as classical art, ancient book patterns). -**CC0 Agreement**: Design resources that expressly waive copyright (available through platforms such as Pixabay and OpenClipart). -**Note**: You need to confirm the copyright notice of the resource to avoid misuse of “free” but non-commercial content. --- ### 5. **Multi-source mixing and inspiration transformation** -**Skills**: Integrate the inspiration of multiple works to form new ideas. -**Example**： -Combine traditional paper-cut art with modern geometric graphics to create a unique illustration style. -Extract abstract patterns from natural forms (such as leaf textures), rather than copying other people's designs. --- ### 6. **Avoidance strategies in legal gray areas** -**Avoid iconic elements**: designs with strong trademark attributes such as Mickey Mouse ears and LV patterns. -**Regional differences**: Some countries may have a higher tolerance for "design similarity”, but cross-border use is more risky. -**Reverse engineering**: Reproduce functional designs (such as UI buttons) through technical means (such as vectorization and hand-painting), but make sure that the aesthetic expression is not reproduced. --- ### 7. **Risk control and ethical advice** -**Legal advice**: Seek professional advice from intellectual property lawyers before commercial projects. -**Original statement**: Clearly mark “Inspired by XX, but innovative modifications have been made” in the work. -**Cultural respect**: Avoid appropriation of culturally sensitive symbols (such as ethnic totems and religious patterns). --- ### Key reminder： Even if the above techniques are used, legal disputes may still be faced. For example, the “substantial similarity” standard in the U.S. Copyright law or the “contact + substantial similarity” principle in the Chinese Copyright Law may determine infringement. The final security path is still: **Obtain authorization**or **Independent original**.