Posted on 01/24/2014 7:30:49 PM PST by Uncle Chip
after he 'stole' their photographer's image for his latest painting
George Zimmerman's recent foray into the art world hasn't exactly earned him much critical praise. But it's definitely garnered him some attention - so much so that it could potentially get him sued by one of the largest news-wire services on earth.
For his latest painting, the man acquitted of murder in the shooting death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin has painted a portrait of Florida State Attorney General Angela Corey, who is the woman who decided to charge Zimmerman with murder in Martin's death.
The problem for Zimmerman, however, is that the photo he used as the basis for his painting is owned by the Associated Press, and the wire service doesn't appear too keen on the idea of letting Zimmerman use it free of charge.
The photo was taken at a press conference Corey held in April of 2012 by AP photographer Rick Wilson. Now, both Wilson and the AP have taken action to prevent Zimmerman from using the image.
'George Zimmerman clearly directly copied an AP photo to create his painting of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey,' AP spokesman Paul Colford said in the statement to ANIMAL New York.
'The AP has sent a cease-and-desist letter asserting its copyright in the photo to the lawyer who recently represented Zimmerman. That lawyer has responded, and though she no longer represents Mr. Zimmerman, she will be forwarding the letter to him today.'
Wilson also has hired an attorney, John Phillips, who confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that Wilson is prepared, 'in conjunction with the AP, to file suit against him.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Yes, and he was sued as well.
How do they know Z wasn’t watching TV?
He can’t get a job; he’s in debt and needs $. He’s trying to make an income via painting. He just needs someone to explain the rules of copyrighted photographs to him, and he’d be okay.
/johnny
Now why did Andy Warhol get sued but they want to sue George for the same thing?
Elvis is copyrighted. But Corey isn’t.
Has NBC made a definite offer? I thought they were still fighting it.
A lot of artists, professional and amateur, have gotten into legal and financial trouble by using reference photos without permission of the photographer. Copyright law states that a photographer has the rights to his own photographic images. They can and do sue if you use the image without getting permission and/or paying for the use. This is not specific to Zimmerman, though his own fame no doubt drew the attention of the AP photographer in a way a person who wasn't a public figure might not have done.
No joke, I know a woman who painted a picture of a horse and submitted it to a contest. Someone else suggested that she had used his photo as her reference. The contest organizers correctly made her prove that she had used a different reference photo as the basis of her painting and had gotten the legal right to it.
the writer of the article needs to make a correction.
Corey is NOT Florida Attorney General. Pam Biondi is.
It would seem that the copyright of the image belongs to the horse (even in the case of Corey).
this is protected under freedom of speech, unless it’s a perfect rendition
Maybe he’s gotten used to being in the spotlight and wants to stay there?
How did Andy Warhol deal with such things, I wonder. Did he obtain rights?
I’d tell AP to piss off, that it was drawn from memory. Let them try to prove it wasn’t...
They sued Shepard Fairey over the famous Obama image on the same grounds, saying he based it on their photo. They cut a deal to share the profits from Fairey’s work, and you just know they’ll be happy to make a good deal with GZ /s
And I’m sure the ACLU will be on the case, helping defend one’s right to freedom of expression...
When he gets his Kel-Tec back, he should put it up for auction.
“When he gets his Kel-Tec back, he should put it up for auction.”
If Ebay wd even let him list it. Beck tried to sell some item, I forget what, submerged in fake urine, and Ebay pulled it pretty quickly. The management is liberal, from what I’ve been able to discern.
Zimmerman likes to paint, and if his first painting [also copied from a photo] is any indication, there’s a market for his work. He just needs to learn the laws of copyrighted photos and start doing more original art.
I guess the ap idiots think the pics you draw of anything they print they own.INSANITY!
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