ART THEFT IS:
1. A direct rip of someone else's work.
2. An adaptation of someone else's work without permission.
3. Inspired by someone else's work without giving credit.
4. Redistributing and/or selling of someone else's work.
5. Rips can take place in:
* Copying a pose
* Copying an original character
* Not crediting a patented character
* Copying a similar melodic line over the exact same chord progression as another piece
* Library of Congress considers more than 5 consecutive notes to be copyright violation.
* Copying an original catchphrase or logo
6. Copyright is established through deviantART in accordance to the Terms of Service and California Copyright.
7. The "Grey" Area:
* Library of Congress does not consider older images whose copyright has expired to be held under current copyright laws. This means that if no company or surviving member of say, a portrait of W.A. Mozart owns the copyright, the image is free to use depending on HOW you use it. It still must be properly cited based on the following.
*The image must be of 2 scenarios:
1. Rights not evaluated
2. No known copyright holder
* deviantART policy forbids anyone from using these images anyway.



What deviantART considers Art Theft:
[link]

HOW the Library of Congress evaluates images:
[link]

ART THEFT IS COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

Title 17, Chapter 5, Article § 506. "Criminal offenses" of the U.S. Copyright office defines typical copyright infringement. [link])

MUSIC COPYRIGHT GREY AREA
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Hear the first one Here Hear the second one Here