The Hangover II Tattoo Controversy
Mike Tyson is a well-known former heavyweight champion. Most people also know him as the famous boxer who bit off a part of Evander Holyfield’s ear. According to The U.S Sun, Tyson has this tattoo around his face that he claims he got for fun because he was going to get hearts instead.
When Hangover II came out the production company of the movie, Warner Bros., had gotten sued by the tattoo artist that did the design on Mike Tyson’s face. Mike Tyson had no problem with it, but the tattoo artist claims that Warner Bros. used his artwork without permission.
The tattoo appears to be on the face of the actor, Ed Helms, who plays the character Stu in the movie. The scene in that the character ended up with the tattoo on his face when he was in a bathtub in Bangkok. This is where the controversy from the movie stemmed from the tattoo artist that created this design.
What was the need for this whole controversy about a tattoo needed? Well, there are two perspectives on this situation. Copyright of not giving ownership of an idea or image to the person who owns it. And was there really a need of suing them for using the tattoo?
The tattoo artist behind this design is Victor Whitmill. He claims that it was his artistic property and Warner Bros. did not ask for any permission in order to put his design in their movie. Victor then took his own measures to sue Warner Bros. for copyright infringement.
There might be other people getting this tattoo artist design by another tattoo artist, but you do not see him suing them. Maybe since he saw his design was put out there it was an easy way to get money. This can be interpreted in many ways, but if a person is the creator of a well-known idea, art piece, design, or record they should have all ownership right to their claims.
