Shepard Fairey is the man behind Obey and that blue/red Obama Hope image you see everywhere. The AP went after Shepard full scale for the appropriated Obama image and Shepard is still involved in a legal battle with them. Here’s a recent update from obeygiant.com:
As I have stated before I am fighting the AP to protect the rights of all artists but I do want to emphasize one other important point. I’m not accusing the AP of infringing anybody’s rights. I’m saying everyone should have the same broad rights of fair use and free expression, and that includes The AP. I’m not questioning The AP’s legal right to do what it does. But I am saying they have to be consistent. They can’t have it both ways. If AP photographs that do nothing but depict other artists’ work are protected by fair use, then my work has to be, too, because it’s at least as transformative, creative and expressive as The AP photos we identify in my response, if not much more so. If the AP has the right to do what it’s done, then so do I.
- Shepard
Shepard might have used an AP image but he used it to create the most iconic image of the last 10 years. His stencil usage is truly amazing and its dope to see an artist taking a stance against the mighty AP. Check out Obey Clothing here
