AP Countersues Obama Hope Poster Artist

Today the AP countersued artist Shepard Fairey over his famous image of President Barack Obama saying “the image’s uncredited, uncompensated use of an AP photo violated copyright laws and signaled a threat to journalism.”

The artwork is based on a photo taken for the AP by Mannie Garcia in April 2006. From AP: Fairey first sued the AP last month over his artwork, titled “Obama Hope” and “Obama Progress,” arguing that he didn’t violate copyright law because he dramatically changed the image. According to the AP lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, Fairey knowingly “misappropriated The AP’s rights in that image.” The suit, which also names several companies Fairey uses to market his work, asks the court to award AP profits made off the image and damages.

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