Is U2 infringing Copyright?

An American musician Taylor Deupree has accused the Irish band U2 of infringing his copyright, according to NME.com
Images: Left Deupree's - Right U2.

Deupree said in his blog 12k that the cover of U2’s latest album ‘No Line on the Horizon’ used similar artwork as the cover of Dupree’s 2006 album ‘Specification.Fifteen’.
Ironically, both album covers are using the same photograph of Japanese artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto as basis.

But Deupree refused to take legal action because he believed that U2 has no intention to infringe his artwork, and both have legal permissions to use the photograph. In stead, he said that Sugimoto or U2’s designer could have suggested a different photograph.

In reaction to this controversial issue, U2’s album cover designer team i.e. FourOne explained in U2’s website that the design was based on the title of said album, and Bono’s preference of Sugimoto’s artwork. But they have done something different with Sugimoto’s image, something that is uniquely connected with U2’s music that is by adding the EQUAL sign.

Although Deupree would not press charge against U2 however I sincerely hope that U2 would be more careful in the future whenever they want to use a design or even record music, by always double check the originality.

Images:TaylorDeupree