So the question is, does the AP really have the right to profit from a photo of a public figure, posted in a public domain for a non-profit purpose? If so, could Fairey realistically be expected to keep track of his image? Is it possible for one person to manage public art once it is in the hands of the public? Without a whole slew of people working for him (which would be awfully costly for a self motivated project with no real budget) this would be next to impossible. Once the image became downloadable on Fairey's website, anyone could use it anywhere in the world. Obama's appeal to youth caused the poster to spread like wildfire across the Internet in unpredictable ways that no campaign had seen before. People began attaching the "Hope" image to their email signatures, using it as their Facebook default picture, posting it on their Twitpics, and using ObamaMe like it was as hip as going green. Just like that, the "Hope" poster became the unofficial face of the campaign.

During these dark days, "Hope" seems to have a double meaning in Fairey's regard. "With hope, people will act," commented Fairey during a recent interview. He wasn't referring to the poster either, but to his reason for creating art in the first place, and the importance of standing behind your design with integrity. Hope and Change, the message of the Obama campaign, enacted by an artist who now needs just that in order to win his case.