Shepard Fairey files lawsuit against the Associated Press

Shepard Fairey, the Los Angeles street artist who brought us the iconic Obama poster, and the Associated Press have been up in arms over whether or not the AP should receive compensation for Fairey's use of a photograph taken in 2006 by AP freelance photographer Mannie Garcia. Fairey filed a lawsuit against the Associated Press recently, claiming that he did not violate the AP's intellectual property rights.

Fairey claims to have found the photograph on Google and has a gaggle of lawyers who believe he is protected by fair use. The AP says it owns the photograph and should receive credit and compensation.

Add Mr. Garcia (who claims he has the rights to the photo) into the mix and you have a veritable hot legal mess. But despite courtroom squabbling, Garcia seems to have a pretty good outlook on the situation. In an interview with the New York Times he said: "If you put all the legal stuff away, I'm so proud of the photograph and that Fairey did what he did artistically with it, and the effect its had."

In related news, Paste has launched a new version of the Obamicon just in time for Valentines Day! Log in to make an V-day inspired luvicon, and tell the world (or at least Facebook and Twitter) what you "luv."