>> But this type of Lichtenstein work never sat well with me. The transformation is extremely minimal - minor changes to the scene, a new cropping, and conversion from ink to painting.

I saw the examples in the article and agree with you. I wonder what prevents others from similarly appropriating the work of Lichtenstein himself. What if I were to take a Lichtenstein piece, rotate it, crop 2% of it and sell it anew w/o any royalties? Could the Lichtenstein estate really argue against it if the original its-self is stolen?

Or imagine if someone appropriated an original El_Cap_de_Barcelona, could the Lichtenstein estate argue against that when many of their own pieces have done the same?