Comments on: Shepard Fairey speaks about the AP/Obama image

By: Vive le Rat! | Los Angeles Metblogs

Vive le Rat! | Los Angeles Metblogs — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:32:05 +0000

[...] was called, “Art is not peace but war,” something Fairey is experiencing now in his legal battle with AP over his Obama Hope [...]

By: Chal Pivik

Chal Pivik — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:17:22 +0000

Also, there's this price list for bloggers when quoting AP. Oh, I almost forgot: Fuck them.

By: Matt Mason

Matt Mason — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:26:01 +0000

AP will try to limit the case to a simple copying/copyright issue. I think Fairey would win on that issue alone, but as Fairey indicates on his website, his side will argue that the case is about free expression, specifically, political messages. It’s really not debatable that, as Fairey writes, he used a news photo for a wholly different and political purpose, namely, to promote the Presidential candidacy of one of the people in the photograph. And, Fairey added text to the image with a positive message to help promote his candidate. Judges are loathe to censor political speech. That’s why, if the case goes all the way to a decision, I think Fairey will win, and rightfully so.

By: frazgo

frazgo — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:43:24 +0000

People seem to forget that it was artists that first embraced the camera as a tool for their art. Later it became a tool for a new breed of artists in the hands of weston, o’keefe, adams and host of others. Thanks for sharing more on his thoughts, refreshing to see people stand up to gov’t or corporations rather than just rolling over. In all honesty I think the courts will support him on freedom of speech grounds more than anything else since he didn’t duplicate the source.

By: bromike666

bromike666 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:20:34 +0000

I wonder if that 13th stupidest person in Los Angeles has anything to say about van Gogh and all the other “not a real” artists who used reference photos? Man, what a loser he was.