Take-Two has successfully defended itself in a lawsuit where a tattoo artist claimed the company used their copyrighted tattoo design without permission in NBA 2K, featuring LeBron James.
A jury in Ohio decided that Take-Two did not break copyright law by including LeBron James’ tattoos in the game. Take-Two’s lawyers argued that they had permission to use James’ likeness, which included his tattoos.
According to Take-Two’s attorney Dale Cendali, this verdict is a win for anyone who has tattoos and might worry about how their tattoos are shown in public.
This lawsuit is not the first time tattoos have been a legal issue in video games. In 2016, a tattoo company called Solid Oak Sketches sued Take-Two over NBA players’ tattoos, claiming they owned the copyright to the designs. Take-Two also won that case.
In another case in 2012, an artist sued THQ for using a tattoo he created on a UFC fighter in a video game without his permission. That case was settled out of court.
These cases show that the use of tattoos in video games can be a complex legal issue involving copyright and permission from tattoo artists.
