Court agrees that Green Day's use of artwork in "East Jesus Nowhere" backdrop did not violate artist copyright

In 2009, Green Day used a work of art (pictured right) for their own creative use which caught the angry attention of artist David Seltzer.
The artist sued the band for "stealing" hisscream icon for their own professional use.

Green Day presented the image on their 21st Century Breakdown tour video backdrop during the song "East Jesus Nowhere." Set designer Richard Staub added a large red cross and brick background as well as other visual elements to the scream icon.

At the hearing, the court found that Green Day's use of the image was "transformative" and therefore "did not violate his (Selzer) intellectual property rights."

You can read The Courthouse News Service for further details on the hearing.

The case was also reported in The Hollywood Reporter and Perez Hilton, for further reading.