U2 Accused Of Ripping Off CD Cover

January 21. 2009

(Courtesy of ONTD)

Rock band U2 are being accused of ripping off indie artist Taylor Deupree's 2006 album cover. Dupree's album cover predates U2's by three years. However, it is based on a photograph of a horizon by artist, Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Normally, one can copyright an album cover, photo and other types of artwork and sue in the upsetting event it is infringed. The New Yorker magazine was involved in such a case years ago, where an artist's work was slightly altered and used without permission.

While, whoever is responsible for the U2 album cover clearly ripped off Deupree's idea to use it on a CD, the bulk of the work in question belongs to neither artist, but Sugimoto. 

U2 album artwork branded 'rip off'

US artist claims the band copied him on their new album

American musician and label owner Taylor Deupree has accused U2 of copying one of his album covers for their new record.

The Irish band's sleeve for 'No Line On The Horizon' features the same image as Deupree's 2006 album 'Specification. Fifteen'.

Both covers are based on a photograph by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Deupree posted a "rant" on 12kblog entitled 'U2 Album Cover…Have I Seen This Before?', attacking U2 for not researching their cover properly.

"U2's forthcoming album 'No Line On The Horizon' is nearly an exact rip-off of mine and Richard Chartier's 'Specification. Fifteen', which came out a couple of years ago," Deupree wrote...

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