LeBron Tattoo Rights Ruling Reflects Artists’ Copyright Struggle

Setbacks in copyright lawsuits over video games’ depiction of tattoos on LeBron James and other athletes show tattoo art’s broadly-recognized protection can be superseded by the rights of its canvas—the athletes themselves.

After six years of litigation, an Ohio federal jury took just 90 minutes to find Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and 2K Games Inc.'s blockbuster “NBA 2K” series didn’t infringe tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden’s rights in the work he’d inked on the basketball superstar. The verdict marked the third time since 2020 a judge or jury declined to endorse a tattooist’s claimed cut of a 2K video game’s profits ...