Lawyers for Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey say he misled them

Lawyers for Obama poster artist say he misled them

NEW YORK — Attorneys for poster artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the famous Obama “HOPE” image, say he based it on a photograph taken by The Associated Press and not another picture, as the artist had claimed.

In papers filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan, Fairey’s attorneys said they had amended their lawsuit against the AP, which had alleged copyright infringement.

Fairey sued the not-for-profit news cooperative in February, arguing that he didn’t violate copyright law because he dramatically changed the image. The AP countersued in March, saying the uncredited, uncompensated use of an AP photo violated copyright laws and signaled a threat to journalism.