The Associated Press, presumably looking to cash in on the phenomenal success of the "HOPE" artwork, are now going after artist Shepard Fairey, claim
February 5, 2009

Fairey-Obama_b820a.jpg The Associated Press, presumably looking to cash in on the phenomenal success of the "HOPE" artwork, are now going after artist Shepard Fairey, claiming he used an AP-licensed photo without permission for his iconic portrait.

USA Today:

As we've previously reported, the Hope posters that artist Shepard Fairey created during the presidential campaign use an image of Barack Obama that's based on a photograph taken for the Associated Press by then-freelancer Mannie Garcia.

Now, the AP wants credit and compensation.

The wire service says Fairey didn't get permission to do what he did. Fairey's attorney says "fair use" gave him the legal right to take the image and rework it into a piece of art.

"We have reached out to Mr. Fairey's attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution," says the AP's director of media relations, Paul Colford, in a statement.

This may just turn into a landmark "fair use" case. Where do you stand?

See the images in question here.

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