The AP is suing an artist who created an ever popular ObamaHope ( Once Again, The AP Tries To Redefine Fair Use; Goes After Shepard Fairey For Obama Poster ) poster that apparently everyone but the artist ( Shepard Fairey ) has made money off of. Erick Schonfeld, writing for Techcrunch.com, got the scoop, and updated the article as to questions of copyright ownership.
I can only help the artist by giving Shepard another blog voice in favor of Fair Use. The photograph in question that was used as the basis for the work is generic; showing Obama “looking up to the right” with the symbolism clearly representing a greater future for the country [or so my rudimentary psychology skills tell me].
The work is an artists expression, and so dissimilar from the original work that there is no chance of dilution other than the fact that the photograph is much less iconic in nature, and perhaps less inspiring as a symbol of Obama’s attempt at being bilateral. The poster integrates the Red/Blue dichotomy that is the symbol of American politics. For those interested in reading more about it, visit TechCrunch through the link above.