How much do I have to change someone else's work to make it my own?

In Nebraska, the law regarding the amount you have to change someone else’s work in order to make it your own is governed by the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. Generally, you must make enough changes to the original work that it is considered a “new work” or a “derivative work.” The changes must be distinct enough to make it unique from the original work and demonstrate substantial creativity. Otherwise, the new work may still be seen as a violation of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights to reproduce and create a derivative work from the original. In practice, this means that your new work cannot be a copy of the original work and must contain a significant number of changes in order to not infringe upon the original copyright. This includes changing the format, changing the composition, adding or deleting elements, or even creating something that reinterprets or responds to the original work. Ultimately, it is important to make sure that any of your work is sufficiently distinct from the original work and that you are not taking someone else’s work and simply passing it off as your own.

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How much do I have to change someone else's work to make it my own?

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