S. Victor Whitmill, the award-winning tattoo artist who gave Mike Tyson his well-known facial ink, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Missouri on Thursday seeking an injunction against Warner Bros. that would stop the studio from releasing 'The Hangover Part 2.'"When Mr. Whitmill created the Original Tattoo, Mr. Tyson agreed that Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the Original Tattoo," the court papers read (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. – without attempting to contact Mr. Whitmill, obtain his permission, or credit his creation – has copied Mr. Whitmill's Original Tattoo and placed it on the face of another actor ... This unauthorized exploitation of the Original Tattoo constitutes copyright infringement."
In 'The Hangover Part 2,' the character played by Ed Helms wakes up after a long night of partying with a facial tattoo similar to Tyson's. THR notes that it will be difficult for Warner Bros. to argue that the tats are "coincidentally similar" because Tyson was featured in the first 'Hangover' film and the ink sported by Helms in the second movie seems to be a "direct comedic reference to Tyson."




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Yeah, he just wants money, sorry, i doubt he's just upset because his work wasn't "credited" in the film.
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KISS has their make-up trade marked, yet people are always using it in movies, TV shows, etc. Because of their make-up they are of course more recognizable. Never seen them put up a stink about people using their likeness. Even now SNL, South Park, etc. use their characters. And how many tribute bands for The Beatles, Stones, AC/DC, KISS, etc. are there. Tyson and the tattoo artist need to take a chill pill. He was not the first person in the world to have a tattoo like that.
You're right. You know how much business (ie money) he could have gained by being credited in a blockbuster movie?
Bottom line Q: .... How much does he want..? How much do both sides of the lawyer want..? How much does the daily take lose till it's settled..?
A: It's not personal.. It's business.. the Producer either did not think about the copyright law for this situation, OR.. He thought he could "pull one off".....Pay up. End of story..move on to "Hangover 3"
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Write the check and that will be that. If they did copy his work he has a rite to be paid, you know you would do the same thing. Non story non issue.
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rite should be right. DUH!
rite should be right.
there's a legal term "fair use"... one of the principles under the fair use policy is that you're not required to pay or get permission from a copyright holder to use their material for a parody...
is the artist going to split his royalties with the Maori people whose 'art' this represents to begin with??? I think not.
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It it's an EXACT copy of a Maori symbol, the Maori need to call their lawyers. Otherwise, "based on" doesn't count.
I wonder if this artist has paid for all the copyright infringed work he's done? ie... tattoos of cartoon characters, portraits of celebrities, logos from bands or sport teams, etc.
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if the shoe was on the other foot, warner bros would have a herd of lawyers filing lawsuits.
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It was parody. How can this idiot think he owned the right to a "symbol" that he "copied" from history.
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Forget the tattoo.I like the jacket the monkey is wearing!
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It seems anyone can sue anybody for any stupid reason. And this is about the most stpid lawsuit I've ever seen. Why doesn't HANES sue Bradley Cooper because they got no credit for the tighty-whities he was wearing during filming? Makes as much sense to me!
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Can you really copyright a style of art that has been around thousands of years that wasn't yours to begin with?
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It's not the "style" he's claiming copyright to, but one particular tattoo. That he can claim.
The original Hangover was bad...this one looks worse...why bother...hope the guy shuts them down, we don't need more trash at the theaters....
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good deal- let someone attack them for infringe- they want to two tier our internet and copy right everything for our funds... obviously they all want money. business is business. TW and Tattoo are businesses... can't think of them as people so much. they aren't like 'you and i.'
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OMFG! I must see this. Oh yeah, pay him.
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