Shepard Fairey in the news

Shepard Fairey was arrested this weekend in Boston on the way to his own exhibition opening. Apparently there was a warrant out for his arrest on charges of vandalism, which allegedly occurred about a month back, and for failing to appear in court back in 2000. The complete story is on this Huffinton Post article. This brings up the really touchy subject of property versus artistic expression. I'm personally a fan of the memes Fairey has created... what do you all think?


Fairey is also in the news for suing the AP, who threatened legal action against the artist for the infamous Obama "HOPE" and "PROGRESS" imagery. From what I understand, he's trying to clear himself of the complaint under fair use. Although the AP hasn't taken action yet, it sounds like they're looking for a settlement. Of course they want a piece of the pie! Check out the full articles on the Huffington Post. Do you think that the work is transformative enough to be protected under fair use?