Legal Information

If You Spray, You Pay

Submitted by russell on

If you spray, you pay: What the law says

Stencil art painted on public or private property without permission is a crime, but Washington law treats stand-alone graffiti differently than graffiti laid down by gang members or followers.

Paint, scribble or scratch your mark on property where it’s not wanted, and you can be charged with malicious mischief in the third degree — a gross misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $5,000 and a jail term up to one year.

The state’s anti-gang laws can apply if the graffiti is carried out under the auspices of a street…

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Citizen Caught While Stenciling to "Cheer People Up"

Submitted by russell on

The hearts of the matter: Brandon Hughes’ art puts him in court

photo

Brandon Hughes stenciled 12 pink hearts on Wenatchee public property last year in an attempt to “fill the city with love.” He later scrubbed away his handiwork, but still faced a malicious…

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SF City Gov't: Zero Graffiti for a Beautiful City (Video)

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KQED Forum on Graffiti in SF

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Graffiti Discussion on SF Radio

Submitted by russell on

Ah. So much for not being an early riser. I missed the initial discusson on KQED about graff in SF.

Hopefully they'll post a mp3 of the talk soon here.

For now, ther's a discussion going on in the forum here

Guess this is leading up to the "huddle" that's happening later today on Kearney St.

Still not sure if the huddle will spark anything new on the topic beyond "call police, paint over, call police."

NY Times: Fairey Not a Crook

Submitted by russell on
April 10, 2009, 1:08 pm

Graphic Content | Shepard Fairey Is Not a Crook

Here is the original post, with pics

Steven Heller, a former art director at The New York Times, is a co-chair of the MFA Design Department at the School of Visual Arts and a…

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S.F.: 'Graffiti Huddle' to discuss tagging woes

Submitted by russell on

S.F.: 'Graffiti Huddle' to discuss tagging woes

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Here's the deal

S.F. graffiti conference: In some circles, graffiti is considered high art, which is why the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art stocks a coffee-table book featuring photos of graffiti images from around the Bay Area.

Property owners who've been tagged may object to such glorification, but - at least in San Francisco - they can voice their ideas about getting rid of graffiti. On April 23, from 3 to 6 p.m., San Francisco's Graffiti Advisory Board plans to host a "Graffiti Huddle" at the Hilton Hotel, 750 Kearny St. The board's goal is to "bring in all of our partners and the general public to discuss how to rid the city of graffiti once and for all."…

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Fair Use Cont.: New Book Out on Che as a Brand

Submitted by russell on
April 21, 2009
Books of The Times

Brand Che: Revolutionary as Marketer’s Dream

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CHE’S AFTERLIFE

The Legacy of an Image

By Michael Casey

Illustrated. 388 pages. Vintage Books. $15.95.

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Angles on Fair Use

Submitted by russell on

I'm catching this conversation late; the initial discussion about fair use began in December 2007. Where the hell was I? Well, Fairey had yet to make any ripples with the Obama HOPE piece, so I had no reason to throw this into the Legal Dept. Now that Fairey and AP are battling out the legalities of "fair use" (I use quotations because codifying things can always be a bit sticky), Phantom Street Artist has also thrown his hat in the ring on this, bringing another angle to the onging narrative of re-use, street art, advertising, capitalism, etc.

I admit that I miss things here and there. I'm not online enough!

I'm trying to keep my opinions to myself. Blame it on my journalistic integrity. I can say a few things: I'm glad that people are bringing up these issues, though Fairey has been re-using images and icons for years. I've never compared and contrasted the original radical/political art side-by-side with Fairey's work until now, and am a bit disappointed at…

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Shepard Speaks: AP Takes Art for Fair Use Too

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If the AP Has the Right to Do What It's Done, Then So Do I

Shepard Fairey

Posted April 16, 2009 |08:37 PM (EST)

My lawyers filed my response to The AP's claims against me on Tuesday. It includes a dozen examples of AP photographs that consist almost entirely of copyrighted artwork from me and other artists. Today, The AP issued a statement accusing me of "making attacks" on them…

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