Judge: HOPE artist can switch lawyers in AP suit

NEW YORK

A federal judge has granted a request that a street artist locked in a dispute with The Associated Press over the Barack Obama "HOPE" poster be allowed to switch lawyers.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein made the ruling Tuesday at a hearing in federal court in Manhattan.

The lawyers for the artist, Shepard Fairey, had asked to drop the case after Fairey acknowledged he was mistaken about which AP photo he used to create his famous image and tried to destroy evidence of his error.

The AP filed court papers Monday asking that the request be turned down, arguing Fairey's attorneys have "unique knowledge" about his wrongdoing.

Fairey sued the news cooperative in February, arguing that he had so transformed his source material he was protected by "fair use" guidelines.

The AP countersued in March, saying Fairey had violated copyright laws.