Would my collage be legal?

If you're not trying to get the collage copyrighted, you're fine.

I see nothing wrong with using ads and things like that. And your not reproducing the whole photo or image so there should be no problem

yes

Yes, if it is copy-righted you can't do that without calling the photograper or artist first. CLIP ART, however, is fair game. Look up Clip Art on the internet. It is meant for anyone to use in ads, etc.etc.

As long as you do it in a way that qualifies as spoofing, you can USE ANY copywritten material. They still can take you to court, (hell they can do that even if it isn't their image). Or if it is for research. Some documentary did a special on Disney's Stereotypes and used tons of footage since it was applicable. There are very specific laws on it!!! Fair use and fair dealing Copyright does not prohibit all copying or replication. In the United States, the fair use doctrine, codified by the Copyright Act of 1976 as 17 U.S.C. Section 107, permits some copying and distribution without permission of the copyright holder or payment to same. The statute does not clearly define fair use, but instead gives four non-exclusive factors to consider in a fair use analysis. Those factors are: the purpose and character of your use the nature of the copyrighted work what amount and proportion of the whole work was taken, and the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Since it's going to be used as a product for sale, you would be breaking copyright laws if you used the images.

Yes, you could get in trouble and it might smear your reputation. Just create the cover from scratch so there won't be any controversy. That's my advice. Otherwise, you have to contact the copyright holder and ask them for permission. Maybe try the royalty free clip art images found on the internet if you need help.

You can't legally reproduce copyrighted material without the consent of the copyright holder.