Artist Sued By AP For Sharing America's Obamalove

Hope… at a price?

The 2008 election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States of America inspired people across the globe. It was billed as the election of “hope” and “change.”

Artist Shepard Fairey was inspired by the man and the message, so much so that he created a piece of art that represented the hope that he felt for Obama’s America. Now that the afterglow of victory has subsided and America is staring a depression in the face, hope is more difficult to come by. In fact, it is hope that has exposed Fairey to a lawsuit.

The AP claims he stole the image from a photograph

Erik Larson reports for Bloomberg that Fairey has “been sued by the Associated Press over claims the stylized portrait copied a 2006 AP photograph.”

Here’s the AP’s complaint:

Fairey’s willful pattern and practice is to repeatedly copy the works of other artists and photographers. While plaintiffs have attempted to cloak their actions in the guise of politics and art, there is no doubt that they are profiting handsomely from their misappropriation.

Call them the Associated Killjoys

Fairey saw this coming, however. His company (Obey Giant Art, Inc.) filed a preemptive lawsuit that made the claim that the photograph was used “as a visual reference for a highly transformative purpose.”

In their counterclaim, the AP pointed to Fairey’s “willful disregard” for property rights that has led to numerous graffiti, vandalism and related arrests. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Artist Sued By AP For Sharing America's Obamalove"