Shepard Fairey on Fighting the AP Over Obama HOPE Image

[bdimonn261]

Fucking capitalist America. They didn't care about the picture until they knew they could make a profit out of it and then they collected all the the money they could out if it. Fuck capitalism.

[kiinux]

Shepard is wrong. Using other people's exact work in your own piece is not art. It's one thing to create your own interpretation of someone elses work but to just throw someone elses hard labored art into your own piece and claiming the whole thing as yours is not acceptable.

Shepard just creates collages courtesy of other people. I would recommend anyone to see the movie exit through the gift shop. It shows how ingenuine street art really is.

[SeparatedApollo]

@kiinux It was not another persons exact work, Shepard used the AP image as a referance for his piece he didnt steal anything, Artist do this all the time, they incorparate their ideas into a piece of work that they have seen before to make it their own. Its progressive to alter art, It allows others to view a different persons ideas. I have seen Exit Through the Gift Shop and its not just about "ingenuine street art" its about finding your own in the street art world, doing it because you. . .

[SeparatedApollo]

@kiinux care about something or an idea or as therapy or just to have fun rather than becoming just a tool for corporations to sell their merchandise or becoming greedy and doing it for the cash.

[5000Five]

How much does the AP pay Obama for every photo they take of him? Press and Art must remain free. The AP, in trying to remain relevant, just proved how irrelevant they are.

[h204lyf]

OBEY to be FREE

[estvm]

I'm not sure copyrights and intellectual property could be considered de minimis issues.

[Gingernova]

Shepard, YOU ARE NOT AN ARTIST>>>>you are a ripoff.

[Skandalus]

@Gingernova how

[Benihana78404]

Obey All Day

[estvm]

Fairey's comment that he is fighting the AP for all artists is total BS. He ripped off someone elses' intellectual property and got called to task. I hope the courts pound him good and send a message to other plagarizers to create their own art, or if creating a derivitave work, properly attribute it to the original artist and pay tribute at the outset. And if someone has to catch them at it after the fact, the penality should be big.

[sramanik]

@estvm and if someone should catch them putting up illegal street art? off with their heads, too?

[Skandalus]

@estvm where's the guy that originally made it

[wlman303]

casket095... i hope you are being sarcastic.... otherwise you are a sad... sad... little confused man... freedom of religion bro. and umm.... you scare me a bit if you are serious... go to a mental institution. i think they can help with that whole... crazy issue you got going on.

[wesfernd]

OBEY

[casket095]

This poster is a disgrace to God!!!

Jesus Christ is our Hope and

Obama is a man!!!!!!!!!!!

He is the anti christ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How dare anyone even think about creating an image like that!!!!

AMERICA IS TO BE A CHRISTIAN NATION AND YOU PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS ARE TURNING IT INTO A SATANIC PAGAN ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scdarrow]

@casket095 But you are a fundamentalist, so aren't you the same as the ones in the middle east which you are so against. This is what is called hypocricy. You obviously are against the concept of democracy, and freedom, so why don't you get thre fuck out of this country. You're unamerican.

[Hojemwod]

screw the AP, Obama, and this fagmo who drew the picture

[scdarrow]

When you do your lawnmower burnouts, is there a carrot hanging in front of you, ya know for motivation?

[SlyEyedPoet]

HAHHAHAHAHHAAA!!!! LOL!!!!!

[KenpachiLand]

that dumbsh*it is famous for helping fuel the fad of praising obama and the "change" is going to create what is America thinking Im liberal and even i know you dont praise the man you respect the position of president but what is goin on is way to close Hitler and the Nazis

[SlyEyedPoet]

how so? he hasn't killed anyone yet : P that was bush. try agean dude.

[Musketnpistol]

@SlyEyedPoet Yeah I suppose you dont count the servicemen and women in Afg. who are waiting for BHO to decide how he wants to fight this war!! Oh yeah didnt he promise to pull out of Iraq? So maybe YOU should try AGAIN "dude".

[gxxr1130]

OBEY

[stoptherightwing]

The artists for Obama did a lot to help Obama get elected. If they only would have helped him get a back bone?

[westheritageskate]

OBEY

[PPPMotion]

OBEY

[plasticfavors]

ANDRÈ HAS A POSSE!

[fuckallcensors]

We will not be silent!

Let them come after millions and millions of Obamicanme styled grafitti art distributed everywhere for free!

Fuck copyright

Fuck the DMCA!

FUCK WMG!

FUCK THE AP!

FUCK YOUTUBE!

We have the power to drive them out of business. THE PEOPLE WILL DECIDE how to share art and information not the greedy corporatioins.

[throglorian]

dude chill

[wano180king]

GO OBEY

[PoppinKhorn]

OBEY RULES!

[NestaCal]

I would like to know just how he feels about making that picture and creating an even creepier President today who was elected by most of the United States, and how He feels the United States is going to plug on? Everyone who makes a dollar is going to need more to get ahead. I wish that GWB would have gone after Osama bin Ladin like Pope John Paul told him to!

[thedeadsealion]

boring. obama bin laden, did you make that up? tards like you need to stay out of politics. sit your privileged ass down and read a book.

or just pick up a cross, close your eyes and get a job in a factory, people like you don't need to think

[PatricksTime]

Polling data show that Mr. Obama's approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001.

Overall, Rasmussen Reports shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president's performance...OUCH!!!!

[BoomerNavy70]

If you don't want your work to influence anyone elses work then don't put the god damn work up on the Internet for everyone to see.

If I were to influence another artist with my style, technique, abilities, talent, etc. I would welcome the flattery and let it go at that.

What the hell have we become in this society?

Pretty soon people will be sueing one another because they think you copied the scent of their farts.

"Excuse me, excuse me, that smells familiar. Hello legal?"

[artformeandyou]

No crap, I think suing people is lame. But in this case it is the artist who is suing first. He did not use the photograph as reference, he copied it almost exactly. If he used many photographs as reference, and then created a different picture than all of them, we would not have this problem. But he did 'steal' the composition. And having politics involved justs makes people confused, but it does not change the fact that he stole an almost exact composition.

[BoomerNavy70]

Screw AP.

You would have to sue every god damn artist in the world for using reference material for their work.

Do you really think artist are doing everything freehand? If you do you are an idiot. We all use reference materials from various sources, and frankly some of us have made a lot of money doing it.

He did not make a literal tranlation of the image. Once it is changed or manipulated it no longer remains the image it was before.

CASE CLOSED!

[artformeandyou]

Just because something is free on the internet does not mean you can copy it. You can read books in a library, but you can copy them, then turn around and sell them for profit. And I don't believe him when he says 'all' the money went to one place.

[mattg30380003]

@BoomerNavy70 Your comment comes down to one word.. "Inspiration".. Artist, musicians, writers and so on all use this word.. Nothing has been new for years..

[faliklunj]

Yes, but he used the pic as the basis for his vectorised work and so it isn't stealing. Its as much a part of his materials as the paint and canvas. I use Google images for a lot of my backgrounds but, by the time I've finished filtering and redrawing them, its my work.

[artformeandyou]

If you steal something from a store and get caught, you just don't own the amount of the item you stole. His argument is not sound.

[makeyanoticeme]

Justice should be delivered specifically and be sympathetic, otherwise it is acting like a bully.

[artformeandyou]

justice is blind. rules don't change for people who steal. If he was using it for educational purposes it would be different. But he was using the money from his painting to make a living and fund his political believes. He does owe damages, because he stole from the AP.

[artformeandyou]

And what about the photographer who took the picture? Do people not care about his work getting stolen? He is an artist just as much as this guy. Copyright laws are there for a purpose, and peoples ignorance on the matter are no excuse for them to be broken. The fact is that he used one sole photograph for reference to the picture, that is infringement. The fact that this 'artist' even has the money to sue the AP means he's probably using stolen money to sue them with.

[alro16]

just another example of people trying to get money out of everything!

[voteforpeace08]

"When the people fear their government, there is TYRANNY. When government fears the people, there is liberty." ~Jefferson~

SUBSCRIBE

[magog1138]

Word.

[everEbody]

Does anybody know what thegas4free.blogspot,com is that Obama has been talking about?

[projectdurden]

Speaking out against the Israeli regime and zionism is now the pinacle of christianity.

[magog1138]

WTF?! How I THOUGHT this was about artistic freedom and copywrite infringement! How the FFFFFFFFFUCK did it turn into a Israel/Zion dissertation?

ONLY ON YOUTUBE!!

[putittogether]

Yea he did rip other artistes work. What they don't tell you is he ripped it from a NAZI poster Artist whom did many of the popular HITLER posters of the time for the NAZI PARTY.

[magog1138]

Yeeeeeeeaah. Because you know, it was the COMMIE-HOMO-NAZI-JEWS that invented PROPAGANDA!

[lumpfish99]

so is this guy saying hes never downloaded a song???

[artformeandyou]

If you steal something from a store, and get caught, you just don't own the original price of the stolen item. You do have to pay damages, this guy is a crappy artist, and does not make a sound argument.

[k166a]

Who woulda thunk AP could be so dickish... I had no idea they were harassin' this guy.

[HymerSchmidt]

Funny story: this guy went onto sue another guy for using the "Hope" slogan on a Steeler's toy doll.

He's way against "creativity stifling copyright." Preach, preacher, preach.

[FkyGGGG]

Sissy....name fit him....

typical Obama supporter...

Whinnie Lib!...

Stay off the Dope Fairey, you'll go far.

[normalais]

get it all out right winger. you have no future. so go ahead and get out your frustrations....

go far? like the 70% of former Bush administration lawyers who can't get a job now because noone wants to hire a lying war criminal? haha yeah they got far.

just hope that the international court does not issue a warrant for Bush like they did for that president of Sudan

[llstevej]

If you put your trust in government I think you will be disappointed

[eirefrance]

Sissy?  Seriously? Thats the analysis you have to give. Oooooooo, I'm so hurt. The internet man called Obama supporters sissies.

[putittogether]

Yea he did rip other artistes work. What they don't tell you is he ripped it from a NAZI poster Artist whom did many of the popular HITLER posters of the time for the NAZI PARTY.

[ArcaneKarma]

I thought I looked 1984ish, and I'm wearing the shirt right now. lol

[MrMan428]

putittogether:

His entire line of "Obey" artwork as well as the "HOPE" poster were inspired more from Soviet propaganda (solid colors, defined lines) than Nazi propaganda. I think you're trying to create a baseless association here.

[putittogether]

You are WRONG, it was the NAZI party posters that inspired him. Do your research, and homework before you spout off, you look the fool, except for fools that believe you.

[magog1138]

Yeah, it's TERRIBLE how inspired he got.

That's worse than, say... the US Government PARDONING OVER 300 NAZI WAR CRIMINALS (project overlord/ project paperclip), clandestinely brought them over to US Soil, classified their research, developed missile, nuclear, and space technology, and were founders of major mathematical principles, theories, and NASA who got us to the moon and made us a WORLD POWER utilizing their INHUMAN experiments.

Nope. This guy who made a poster is WORSE than that.

[magog1138]

NO ONE HERE is suggesting that what the Nazi's did was GOOD. What is interesting is that for all the EVIL they have done, their legacy is the single most FUCKED UP PARADOX- People died, but without them, space travel, and other technological advancements& scientific insights that we have found today would not have been possible.

They even inspire art. Their great evil was damaging, but as a healing factor, we take that pain, and create... Hope.

[MrMan428]

putittogether:

I assume the poster you're referring to is the simplistic, uninspired B&W poster of Hitler's face and name. I see the basic similarities, but that poster is so simple that it could be compared to a portrait of anyone with words beneath.

Stylistically, Fairey's artwork as a whole is inspired by Soviet propaganda. Appropriation and fair use issues aside, Fairey has taken and altered images directly from Soviet posters.

Personal attacks don't validate your argument, you know.

[whoo689]

Lol! The idiot moderator started right after the artist stopped talking and had to clap and stop talking. I guess this is the first time he's moderated something.

[whoo689]

So he's the moron who came up with that stupid, STUPID portrait of Obama. If that isn't asskissing, I don't know what is. "Hope". Pfft.

[arequipa1]

heh! agreed

[upabittoolate]

it was actually a beautiful piece of art

[otacon451]

he has ripped off other artist's graphic work before.

if all graphic artists could please stop polluting my environment with stylistic memes i would be grateful

[ArcaneKarma]

memes??? when a man uses the word 'memes' I make sure to hear him out!

but I'm not sure you could call an image a meme. wouldn't it merely induce a meme?

[portantwas]

Fairey is wrong. Artists are told NOT to copy photographs that are not their own. The fact that his art was out for a year is irrelevant - there is a timelline for copyright but it is decades not a year.

He comes across as arrogant and self-absorbed.

[upabittoolate]

it could have been any random photograph. what's more, president obama is a public figure & trying to copyright his image is ridiculous. can the president sue AP too?

[portantwas]

It is not the copyrighting of Obama's image that is the issue (Obama is a public figure so anyone can photograph or draw him). The issue is the photographer has copyright over his/her image (as an artist work) and this other guy ripped it off. Photographer's original work is covered by copyright and it is considered unethical for anyone to do a drawing direct from someone else's photograph.

[upabittoolate]

the photographer may have copyright on the image if the image is reproduced in a magazine or other media where the publisher is bound to make money. but the alterations made by mr shepard made the picture into a completely different animal. what's more, he made no profit. unethical? that's debatable. but it's far from a legal slam dunk. if i get famous from making a chili mccormick's powder do they get to sue me? sure, it's america. but i doubt they'll win

[portantwas]

No. A photographer has copyright as soon as they take the picture. My photographs (none of them published in a magazine) are mine and I have the copyright, so if anyone steals them to use as their own are actually breaching copyright (yes the internet is full of cr breaches I know). Same with writing, drawing etc. And his graphic illustration is so similar it is a rip off. Still, it will clarify the issue between photographers and the artists who rip off their work.

[upabittoolate]

not necessarily. 1st off, permission must be granted. 2nd off, a public figure (not a celebrity) is different animal. what's more though, the artist changed the photograph into a completely different medium. it was no longer a photograph. it was a graphic composition. should paintshop sue him too?

[portantwas]

We'll just have to disagree on this one and see what the law suit comes up with.

[upabittoolate]

fair enough, dually noted. it's stuff like this that actually makes me stay interested in the legal process & watching policy get shaped. law certainly ain't a static kinda thing. it's a living breathing animal that has to accommodate the changing complexion (no pun intended) of the country. on that, i think we can agree to agree. yes?

[portantwas]

True words. Yes, let's see where this ends up (and what new debates it sparks ;-) ).

[glennd7962]

This isn't a "fair use" issue.

[upabittoolate]

really? why not? because it doesn't serve your argument or because it serves mine? i'm not a lawyer but i understand something about the 'spirit' of the policies that design & inform the laws. that said, how (in your estimation) is it NOT a fair use issue? present your case

[Sardonac]

It's not a debate about whether or not it was out for a year, or even a debate about whether the law applies when it clearly does, but a debate about whether or not we should keep copyright laws in their current form. The artist is stating that it stifles artists creativity and that, in this particular case, no damage was done. Furthermore, by acting as he did, he made the value of the original image far greater.

[portantwas]

That his artwork improved the original photograph is just your opinion - the original photograph IS an artwork in its own right. Yes, copyright laws need to be overhauled, but this guy simply copied a photograph (the photographer did all the artistic work in his original) and then got the fame and the money. To piggy back on others artistic work is unethical and reduces trust. He should have been more original in the first place.

[Sardonac]

I never said he improved it. He made it more commercially valuable.

His style was an Andy Warhol take on Barack Obama done for promotional purposes. He made no money directly off the image and always gave credit to the original. He took nothing from the original photographer.

He didn't piggyback on the work of another artist. He used a common style and fully credited his inspiration for the image.

[portantwas]

Ok. I misunderstood what you meant by value. Point taken.

But I've seen that artwork used in newspapers often and never seen the attribution to the photographer - ever. I wonder when the artwork was used in media around the world if they were charged (for the photo of the artwork based on the original photo!). Someone must've gotten permission to use it (and probably paid) since that is standard practice.

[Sardonac]

I'm not so sure. It's my understanding that the second artist took all the money he made off the rights to his image and donated them to Barack Obama's campaign and charities.

Bear in mind that the newspapers may not have cited the original image but within the copyright for the inspired image the original image is cited as inspiration.

[ArcaneKarma]

I do feel that once he started selling this image than he should have gone back and gotten the copy right. or if not, than gone back, and gotten his own; at that point he could have, I'm sure.

[portantwas]

He'd only get the copyright if the photographer signed it off to him. Everyone has to remember that photographers are considered artists too, and their work is considered original for copyright purposes. This guy made money off of this without putting in the original work. He could've used photos are references and then 'imagined' up a more original image himself. It is not up to him to decide if he breached copyright or not, but up to the photographer.