Tyson tattoo artist sues Warner Bros

May 01, 2011 |

Los Angeles

The man behind the distinctive facial tattoo of Mike Tyson is not happy to see a similar design on Stu Price in the Hangover 2 after his drunken night adventure.
Warner Bros is facing a lawsuit for copyright infringement by S. Victor Whitmill, who tattooed the boxing champion. Whitmill says the body art on Tyson’s face is “one of the

most distinctive tattoos in the nation”. He is asking for an injunction to stop the release of the highly-anticipated comedy sequel, the Hollywood Reporter said. “When Mr Whitmill created the tattoo, Mr Tyson agreed that Mr Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the original tattoo,” says the complaint, filed on Thursday.
“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 unauthorised exploitation of the original tattoo constitutes copyright infringement,” the complaint states. —PTI

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