Shepard Fairey contributes to Earth Hour, accused of plagiarism by AP

Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the famous Obama Hope image has contributed to the upcoming Earth Hour campaign, as the AP accuses him of plagiarism for his Obama image.

Earth Hour is an environmental awareness campaign that asks people to switch off their lights at a set time to save energy. The idea started in Sydney in 2007, and has spread to 371 cities across 35 countries in 2008. The image from Fairey above will be used by the campaign to spread awareness of the event.

In related Fairey news, the Associated Press (AP) is demanding compensation from Fairey over his famed Obama Hope posters. The source image used in creating the poster was from an AP shot and was used without permission.

A spokesman for AP said in a statement that “The Associated Press has determined that the photograph used in the poster is an AP photo and that its use required permission. AP safeguards its assets and looks at these events on a case-by-case basis. We have reached out to Mr. Fairey’s attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution.”

Fairey’s attorney said that they believed the use of the image falls under fair use, and Fairey did not receive any of the money raised from the use of the image.

(thx to John Johnston for the tip)