After reading the article entitled, Shepard Fairey Is Fined and Sentenced to Probation in ‘Hope’ Poster Case, it makes you realize even more that your work is not safe from anyone. It states in the article that he, “Was sentenced in federal court in Manhattan on Friday to two years of probation and fined $25,000 for tampering with evidence in the case.” Fairey claims it to be fair use that he used the picture from the company itself but as stated in the article, Shepard Fairey and The A.P. Settle Legal Dispute, “The photograph was taken by Mannie Garcia for The A.P.” If he had taken into consideration the ethical guidelines and the copyright laws it could’ve been possible that he may have never gone to jail. Unfortunately it’s instances like this that can end up ruining an artist or designers career if they are not careful with whatever illustrations or photographs they use.
As stated before when designing for someone it’s best to tread lightly and do proper research because one bad decision can affect your life, career, and reputation. The law in design is scary because we may not realize it’s something that’s wrong but we can save ourselves the time and look into the ethics of being a designer and what that entails.
Sources:
Shepard Fairey is fined and sentenced to probation in ‘hope’ poster case. (n.d.).
