Fairey-AP Case Dropped
January 12, 2011
It looks like the court case between the Associated Press and one-man-brand Shepard Fairey is going to be dropped without clarifying copyright law, which, let’s face it people, is the only thing keeping me from supplementing my income by selling T-shirts on the weekend. The AP had sued Fairey, claiming he infringed on their copyright by creating the now iconic HOPE posters of a soon-to-be-President Obama. Fairey responded with a countersuit, claiming he was merely exercising his fair-use rights. Since it looks like Fairey and the AP are going to settle, the legal status of stylized photo cribbings remains uncertain. With a bit of luck, things will be settled once and for all (until the appeal) when the AP and the company that has acquired a license to make clothes with Fairey’s image have their day in court . In the meantime, we can look forward to many more (bad and badder) internet memes riffing on the crib.