• Let’s look at The AP’s actual claim. They’re saying that you can’t create ANYTHING that uses their content as mere reference material without paying them. They’ve done similar things with bloggers in the past, and their policies are, in a word, nuts.
• True/Slant blogger Justin Gardner • On the nature of Shepard Fairey’s fair use claims against the Associated Press for creating the Obama “Hope” poster. Regarding Fairey’s end of the bargain, he says, “Yes, Fairey lying about this was wrong, stupid, etc. Shame on him for that.” Even so, “that doesn’t make his use of the photo copyright infringement.” Gardner goes further to point out that the AP sent the photographer there to shoot GEORGE CLOONEY, not Barack Obama. Because, at the time, Obama wasn’t this iconic political superhero that he is now (or he was in January). • source

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