Did they sue that punk who made the “Hope” image of the Clown?
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.