Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/22pdf/21-869_87ad.pdf
Page Number: 15.0

Cite as:  598 U. S. ____ (2023) 

9 

Opinion of the Court 

Figure 6. Warhol’s orange silkscreen portrait of Prince superimposed
on Goldsmith’s portrait photograph. 

Goldsmith notified AWF of her belief that it had infringed 
her copyright.  AWF then sued Goldsmith and her agency
for a declaratory judgment of noninfringement or, in the al-
ternative, fair use.  Goldsmith counterclaimed for infringe-
ment. 

The District Court granted summary judgment for AWF.
382 F. Supp. 3d 312, 316 (SDNY 2019).  The court consid-
ered the four fair use factors enumerated in 17 U. S. C. §107 
and held that the Prince Series works made fair use of Gold-
smith’s photograph.  As to the first factor, the works were 
“transformative”  because,  looking  at  them  and  the  photo-
graph “side-by-side,” they “have a different character, give
Goldsmith’s photograph a new expression, and employ new 
aesthetics with creative and communicative results distinct 
from  Goldsmith’s.”  382  F. Supp. 3d,  at  325–326  (internal
quotation  marks  and  alterations  omitted).    In  particular,
the works “can reasonably be perceived to have transformed
Prince  from  a  vulnerable,  uncomfortable  person  to  an