Hollywood Reporter: Remember when Mike Tyson's tattoo artist sued Warner Bros. to stop The Hangover: Part II, claiming the copyright on his tattoo was infringed in the film? Of course, this wasn't going to be the last lawsuit making such a claim that tattoos are works of original authorship and that publishers need permission to make copies.
2 comments:
Everyone is trying to make a buck these days and it doesn't matter how you do it. I will give the tattoo artist credit to extent as what he does is easily a form of art that requires a good deal of skill. However, he was commissioned to draw/tattoo the lion on that fighter...the guy said, "Hey, I want a lion that looks like this!" and thus he made a lion.
It's by a completely separate series of events for entirely different reasons that this image is featured in the UFC video game. The makers of the game have a job to render the fighter which as much accuracy as possible (which today contains an incredible amount of detail and imaging work) and they did so, with absolutely no malicious intent or goal of making money based on the portrayal of the tattoo itself. The game makes money because fans get to 'embody' their favorite fighters and beat the crap out of their friends in a digital world. What UFC fan wouldn't want the game for that reason, but would instead want it because there's a really cool lion tat on the world champions rib cage...? The answer you might be looking for is: none in his/her right mind.
I don't foresee this lawsuit gaining much traction and personally think the guy is reaching, but hey that's just my opinion. People have won lawsuits for much for trivial, far-fetched and petty things than this.
This is an original piece of art on an original canvas. I know that THQ had to secure the rights to use Carlos Condit’s likeness. That should also come with the copyright for any body art that he has. That is an agreement Carlos needs to have with his tattooist. “Now that I have this on my side. I will pay you 2% of all my endorsements where this is seen.” That sounds fair. Otherwise we have a pound of flesh Merchant of Venice problem. Would the tattoo artist have been happier if THQ had just drawn Mr. Condit with a blank side? Probably not. I agree with Joe, he should be paid. BUT he should be paid by Carlos and not the game company. THQ would say, “We can recreate you but not your ink. You have to pay your artist if you want us to do that.”
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