Greetings there!
I have few questions about the legal usage of sprites, as i have searched for it but couldn't find any good explanations, so i need a bit of help in understanding this, in such as;
1. I have drawn a sprite myself, but i noticed that it's head looks like another sprite from an old game (legends of mana) - just the head though, not the body. Do i need to change it or? Will the company asume i have stolen anything from them?
2. If i for example take the old Mario sprite, use the body form of it, but just increase the size, totally different color and face etc - however the sprite pixel itself is from mario, can they also sue a person for this?
3. If you decide to use an old sprite from a diff game (just the standing) but you remake the color and the whole sprite - how far must u go untill u can not be sued? I mean is it enough to change the head/arms or just color or size etc?
4. Can i draw the body for my sprite by my own and then use the legs of a different sprite from a different game and just change the color of it?
I mean, these questions might sound stupid - but i need to know how far one must go. I like lets say a character from final fantasy 6 (Terra) and i want a look-alike in my game, how much do i need to change to not be sued? It's a small sprite, the details are few and i want the green hair we might say, and the form of it. How far must i go?
Hopefully someone understands me and can help me with this! >.<
Thanks in advance, and thank you for your time!