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Copyright

by Mike Masnick

Fri, Dec 7th 2012 10:39am




Filed Under:
carlos condit, christopher escobedo, copyright, tattoo

Companies:
thq


Tattoo Copyright Strikes Again: Tattoo Artist Sues THQ For Accurately Representing Fighter's Tattoo In Game

from the ownership-society dept

About a year and a half ago, we wrote what we thought was just a fun theoretical post about copyrights in tattoos. The general point was that if a tattoo artist creates a new and unique design, then, technically, they're the one who gets the copyright. And that can lead to some awkward legal issues. Of course, it barely took three weeks before that "theoretical" question became real, when a tattoo artist who had done Mike Tyson's famous tattoo sued Warner Bros. because the character Ed Helms plays in The Hangover 2 ends up with a similar (though not identical) tattoo. WB eventually settled that case to make it go away.

As a bunch of folks have sent in the news that tattoo artist Christopher Escobedo has sued video game company THQ because they accurately depicted UFC fighter Carlos Condit in the game UFC Undisputed 2010. Condit has a prominent "lion" tattoo which is replicated in the game. You can see the tattoo here:
None of the news reports we've seen have posted the actual legal filing, so we've posted it here and embedded it below. There are a few things worth noting. The game came out in 2010. Escobedo created the tattoo in 2009... but did not register it until February 24, 2012. That may significantly limit Escobedo's ability to collect. Specifically, if you want to ask for statutory damages (up to $150,000), registration has to occur within 3 months of the work being published and prior to infringement. In this case, neither happened -- which is why Escobedo is asking only for "actual damages." And that's going to make this case difficult for him. He's claiming that he wouldn't have licensed the image, which is how he's going to argue for really high damages, but a court might not buy any real or significant "damage" to the copyright being used in the game.

Honestly, much of this feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity, rather than as a way to win a lawsuit. After all, the lawsuit got attention... because the artist issued his own press release about it. That press release mentions the Mike Tyson tattoo case, suggesting that some people saw that and started looking for other opportunities to use tattoo cases to sue big companies, hoping for easy settlements.


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    out_of_the_blue, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 10:59am

    "feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity"

    OMG! Reverse "Streisand Effect"! You needz to label this quick, Mike! Be your second claim to fame!

     

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      Another AC, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:06am

      Re: "feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity"

      Probably more accurate to say this is the Streisand Effect in action, it's just that in this case the attention is wanted rather than unwanted.

       

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      Rikuo (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:15am

      Re: "feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity"

      Out of the Blue is jealous that Mike coined a popular term that refers to something witty and interesting. What have you done, hasn't_got_a_clue?

       

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      Trails (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 12:03pm

      Re: "feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity"

      guttersnipe (ˈɡʌtəˌsnaɪp)
      — n
      a person regarded as having the behaviour, morals, etc, of one brought up in squalor

       

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:01am

    Any photographer that have captured the tatoo in pictures should be feeling nervous about now.

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:04am

    File this under I can't believe people still respect copyright law:
    “People often believe that they own the images that are tattooed on them by tattoo artists,” explains Speth. “In reality, the owner of the tattoo artwork is the creator of the work, unless there is a written assignment of the copyright in the tattoo art.”
    ...
    These cases are an important reminder to celebrities that if they want to own their tattoos, they must ask for a written assignment of the copyright from the tattoo artist. Otherwise, what they have paid for is merely a license to display the image on their body. This license, according to Speth, does not include the right to give third parties (such as video game developers or movie producers) permission to copy and commercialize the image.

     

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    Hugues Lamy (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:24am

    Work for hire

    Is the tattoos would qualified for work for hire ? You hire somebody to do a very unique specific design for a single purpose ? In that case, the artist waive their copyrights. I also thought of the same thing of the wedding photographers, but maybe in the contract you signed copyright could be assigned to the artist and not to the person hiring them.

    I remember specially that clause in my wedding photography contract. I never been tattooed so I don't know if they even have contract. I'm guessing that for the most famous of them they do have contract. In this case, I would imagine they put that the transfer the copyright to them and make sure they are not work for hire.

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:33am

    The only time this makes any sense (at all) to apply copyright to a tatoos is for directly copying of a tatoo design and putting it onto another person as a tatoo. Even then, it is a stretch and has much in common with copyrighting garden designs and layouts (which have been denied protection).

    Recreating the person's likeness and including the tatoo should be completely clear of any copyright issues. It just doesn't make sense.

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:50am

    So, why would someone get a tattoo if you basically sell the rights to your body to someone else, assuming the judge rules in the tattoo artist's favor?

    Sounds kind of like slavery to me.

     

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    JWW (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 11:56am

    Coming next

    I predict the next silly lawsuit to come from this tattoo nonsense will involve a game developer deliberately changing a tattoo for an athlete's likeness in a game and being sued for defamation of character by not representing them correctly as they are in the game....

     

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    Argonel (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 12:05pm

    It should be pretty easy to figure out actal damages in this case.

    Expected continuing income from the tattoo: $0
    Actual continuing income from the likeness: $0
    Change in business as a result of the likeness/lawsuit +$$

    Sounds like he owes THQ for the additional publicity.

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 12:42pm

    "lion" tattoo

    That childish smudge of ink is supposed to be a lion??

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 1:06pm

    more coming next

    And in the same vein, plastic surgeons will register copyrights on work they've on people. Celebrities will have to pay a cut every time they're photographed or in a movie.

     

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      John Fenderson (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 1:08pm

      Re: more coming next

      They don't really have to register it. It's already copyrighted.

       

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        ldne, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 1:45pm

        Re: Re: more coming next

        Which is part of the problem. Also, you can't legally obtain ownership of a person and the tat is a part of the guy's skin. Copyright and patent law just keeps getting stupider and stupider.

         

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    Mesonoxian Eve (profile), Dec 7th, 2012 @ 1:13pm

    The only Tattoo I know of that is covered under copyright is the one that screams "Da plane! Da plane!"

    This case gets tossed faster than a salad at the Olive Garden.

     

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    Anonymous Coward, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 4:36pm

    What next, suing for accurately depicting someone's nose job?

     

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    varagix, Dec 7th, 2012 @ 5:58pm

    Worst part about this whole mess is that THQ has been, and still is, in a lot of financial trouble this year. However this lawsuit goes down, it's bad news for the future of THQ.

     

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    PaulT (profile), Dec 8th, 2012 @ 5:09am

    "actual damages"

    Yes, please, I'd like to know how a design that he claims he wouldn't have licensed in the first place, that he put in a place that would be visible in public without any control over when and where it would be shown, caused him any actual damage by being licensed. About the only possible explanation would be that its appearance in the game lost him future clients, which would not only be a major stretch but a very tricky thing to actually prove.

    Given THQ's recent financial woes, it's not even a case of someone getting jealous over someone else's success and demanding a piece of the action. Unless he really is deluded, it's either a self-publicity stunt or whichever lawyer advised him to copyright his designs wants some extra billable hours...

     

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    The Rufmeister-General, Dec 8th, 2012 @ 6:52am

    Doesn't think this over long enough...

    "Honestly, much of this feels like the artist is using this more as a way to get publicity, rather than as a way to win a lawsuit. After all, the lawsuit got attention... because the artist issued his own press release about it."

    I find this funny. Publicity for art sounds good. Until you realize that if you get a tattoo from this guy, you run the risk of either yourself or a business partner sued if you happen to accidentally get successful.

    If I were to shop around for a tattoo artist, then one that has proven to be vindictive, greedy and sue-happy would not be my first choice. Caveat emptor. :)

     

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      The Rufmeister-General, Dec 8th, 2012 @ 6:54am

      Re: Doesn't think this over long enough...

      My apologies for the typos and grammar errors in this post. I should have made an account so I could have edited.

       

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    Marc John Randazza (profile), Dec 9th, 2012 @ 10:48am

    The correct answer

    I think your statement that the artist sued "just to get publicity" is unfounded and unfair. I know the plaintiff's attorney, and she's not going to sign a complaint that is for no reason but a PR stunt.

    That said, I still think her case is going to fail. The correct answer is here.

     

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