New Tattoo Copyright Infringement Case Filed By Artist Who Inked WWE Wrestler Randy Orton; Forbes, April 18, 2018

Darren Heitner, Forbes; New Tattoo Copyright Infringement Case Filed By Artist Who Inked WWE Wrestler Randy Orton

"A new lawsuit will once again test the extent that Copyright Law applies when tattoos are involved. Catherine Alexander, the tattooist who inked WWE wrestler Randy Orton, has filed a lawsuit against WWE and 2K Games (the publisher of video games such as WWE 2K) for allegedly using her designs in a commercial manner and without her consent.

Alexander makes the claim that the video games featuring Orton contain exact replications, in digital design, to multiple tattoos, including a tribal tattoo that she placed on the wrestler's upper back, and that the use constitutes copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, indicates that Alexander even made prior efforts to come to an agreement with the WWE."

Failure to Register LeBron James' Tattoo as Copyright Proves Costly; Hollywood Reporter, 8/2/16

Ashley Cullins, Hollywood Reporter; Failure to Register LeBron James' Tattoo as Copyright Proves Costly:

"Animators behind the NBA 2K video game series did such a good job bringing to life basketball stars like LeBron James that they were sued for copyright infringement for recreating his tattoos.

Solid Oak Sketches sued 2K Games and Take-Two Interactive Software in February, claiming it owns the copyrights to tattoos emblazoned on several NBA stars including James, Kobe Bryant and Eric Bledsoe.

The tattoo designers were seeking actual damages in an amount to be determined at trial, or statutory damages and attorneys' fees — but a New York federal judge on Tuesday ruled out the latter.

"[I]n order to obtain statutory damages and attorneys' fees, a plaintiff must have registered its copyright prior to the alleged infringement," U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain writes.

In this case, Swain finds, defendants' alleged infringement began with NBA 2K14 in 2013 and the tattoo designs weren't registered with the U.S. Copyright Office until 2015."