Tag Archives: tattoo

Tattoo Dispute Fades Away

Tattooed work of art

Much like painters or musicians, tattoo artists are creators in their own right.  However, are their inked canvases considered unique designs worthy of copyright protection?  Solid Oak Sketches seemed to think so, as the company filed a lawsuit against producers of NBA 2K video games, including Take-Two Interactive Software.  In 2016, the tattoo licensing firm accused NBA 2K of embodying athletes such as LeBron James, Eric Bledsoe, and Kenyon Martin with their real-life tattoos in the video games, without properly compensating the artists who tattooed them.  That lawsuit, initially filed in a Manhattan court, was just dismissed this month. Continue reading →

Ink Not Dry on LeBron Tattoo Lawsuit

Heating up

The world of video games has become very realistic as technology continues to advance. In the 1980s and 1990s, the additions of player’s actual names in sports games was a huge step to creating a more immersive experience. In the 00’s, the blank faces and stares of old video game character models became much more realistic, if not lifelike, replications of famous athletes. Today, guys like LeBron James in Take-Two Interactive’s NBA 2k series is a dead-on representation, right on down to the tattoos. However, this has now caused a brand new issue and interesting talking point. A tattoo company with copyrighted images of the tattoo work has filed a lawsuit, claiming copyright infringement.   Read More