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NBA 2K makers sued over use of tattoos on LeBron, Kobe, others

REUTERS/Lucy Pemoni

The makers of the NBA 2K video game franchise are being taken to court by a company claiming to hold a copyright on tattoos found on the bodies of players including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, DeAndre Jordan, and Eric Bledsoe.

Solid Oak Sketches is suing Take-Two Interactive over unauthorized depictions of the tattoos seen in the NBA 2K series. The eight infringed-upon designs include doves on James' forearms and butterflies on Bryant's arm, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.

Solid Oak Sketches obtained copyright for several of the tattoo designs last year and had contacted NBA 2K about arranging for their use in the game, according to evidence submitted in the lawsuit.

However, the lawsuit also acknowledges that a U.S. court has never fully determined whether tattoo art can be copyrighted, reports Eriq Gardner of the Hollywood Reporter. Mike Tyson's tattoo artist, Victor Whitmill, sued Warner Bros. over the visibility of his work in the movie "Hangover 2" and settled out of court. A similar result occurred with artist Christopher Escobedo, who was awarded $22,500 after the tattoo he inked on MMA fighter Carlos Condit's back was depicted in the "UFC Undisputed" video game.

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