My group is using the Fairey vs. Associated Press court case for our second portfolio paper. In this case, the artist Shepard Fairey, the creator of the iconic “Hope” Obama poster, is accused of copying the photograph taken by an AP photographer. When I was doing research for this essay I stumbled upon multiple sites titled “Obama Poster Maker”. These sites enable anyone to upload photographs and digital produce them in the style of Fairey’s poster. How does copyright law deal with this? Does Fairey own this technique or is it just an ability anyone with Photoshop or googling skills can freely apply to any photograph?
I think this is interesting because the Obama Hope Poster is not really that artistic. It is pretty easy to make on photoshop so I find it hard to believe that Fairey would really get a lot of money off of this. Also, Obama was the one who made it wildly popular. Fairey should almost be grateful I feel like.