Shepard Fairey admits wrongdoing in AP lawsuit

Fairey is involved in two lawsuits with the Associated Press. The AP filed suit against him several months ago claiming his poster infringed on their copyright of a photo taken by photographer Mannie Garcia for the AP; Fairey countersued on fair use grounds and asserted that the AP image was not the one he used.

In the statement, Fairey admitted that the AP was correct in its claim that Fairey used the photo it owned and that he had mistakenly believed he had used a different image. He said, "In an attempt to conceal my mistake I submitted false images and deleted other images. I sincerely apologize for my lapse in judgment and I take full responsibility for my actions which were mine alone. I am taking every step to correct the information and I regret I did not come forward sooner."

It is unclear as of now what effect this admission will have on the fair-use arguments Fairey makes in his suit. He expressed regret that the admission might distract attention from that issue.