Zimmerman tries to profit from Trayvon Martin slaying with painting; AP demands halt to sale

AP via Johnson City Press ^ | January 24, 2014

[don-o]

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Associated Press has demanded that George Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency says it directly copies an AP photo.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Great minds think alike!

[Innovative]

This is totally ridiculous — AP is just going after Zimmerman, just to have a reason to attack him.

Zimmerman sat through his own trial and saw the prosecutor.

[Uncle Chip]

<>Here is how to thoroughly refute the AP’s case against GZ<>

Thanks for pointing that out — at 1:19 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UskHmQ5DHw

George needs to call AP’s bluff —

[griswold3]

George Zimmerman, unlike Fulton, is deeply in debt. I would not call this profiting.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Actually, George Zimmerman would be very wise to copyright his name and image. Lots of sports stars and other celebrities do so. His copyright would also be set in concrete if he gave limited permission in writing for their use by those he liked, as well as selling them for a nominal sum, $1, to several people.

And this is fair warning to anyone who gets thrust into the spotlight. Get your name and image copyrighted immediately, as it will make it much harder for scoundrels to abuse you.

[AuditTheFed]

Um, wouldn’t this make most of Andy Warhol’s paintings illegal?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

He should countersue them for their knowingly-false abominable “reports” of “news” -— which were libel against him.

Zimmerman is suing NBC, I think it was, for broadcasting a version of the nonemergency phone call in which an answer and then a different question were omitted to put a racial slur in his mouth. Well and good, but he is only suing for $2 million, which in context is a poultry amount. “Poultry? Don’t you mean ‘paltry’?” “No, I mean poultry - it’s chicken feed!”

And, as you suggest, the real problem is not a single news outlet but the entire system of news publishing - which means the AP, but also the membership of the AP individually. Joint and several liability. NBC wouldn’t have done what it did without the support and instigation of all the others - it was far to blatant for an individual publisher to undertake if it weren’t for the “everyone is doing it” pseudo defense.

But when you recognize that all the news outlets are - via the AP - in cahoots, that is no defense at all. The AP and its membership really should be defendants in a civil RICO suit, because the libeling of the middle class in America is what the AP and its membership, jointly and severally, do. If it isn’t Zimmerman, it’s the Duke Lacrosse Team, or the Swiftboat vets, or somebody. And the fact that the Democratic Party goes along and gets along is no excuse, it just makes it that much more egregious.

[ontap]

I’m betting if the little kittle thugs’ family did the same there wouldn’t be a word!!!

[Madame Dufarge]

From the article:

Artist Shepard Fairey got in a legal dispute with the AP after he used an AP photo in his famous Barack Obama "HOPE" poster. Fairey sued the AP in an effort to get a court declaration that he did not violate AP's copyrights when he made the Obama image. The AP countersued, saying the uncredited, uncompensated use of its picture both violated copyright laws and was a threat to journalism.

Claims between the news agency and Fairey were settled in 2011, with Fairey agreeing to pay the AP $1.6 million.

[Bobalu]

Yup.
It’s as if I could take a picture of the Empire State Building and thereafter no one could produce a painting of that building from the same angle....it’s ridiculous.

[mosesdapoet]

n the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled Zimmerman tries to profit from Trayvon Martin slaying with painting; AP demands halt to sale, don-o wrote: to my question about a by-line (author of diatribe)

“No byline” .
Seen the earlier announcement posted here in FRs. Just read the heads which wasn’t so inflamatory Probably added to by the publication...

[Right Wing Assault]

The pic shown at the source looks more like a computer generated rendition of the photo that an actual painting.

Yes, their is no way GZ painted that pic with a real brush. He separated it into three levels and assigned three shades of orange to them. Could be done in 2 minutes max. There are even places online that will do it for you instantly for free. Some artist! Lazy effer.

[rolling_stone]

here is another ap suit

http://www.iptrademarkattorney.com/2012/03/copyright-infringement-pictures-beastie-boys-derivative-transformative-shepard-fairey.html

[Political Junkie Too]

I'm waiting for the AP headline: Zimmerman tries to profit from Trayvon Martin slaying by getting a job.

-PJ

[marktwain]

You have stated it well.