A St. Louis federal judge has ruled that “The Hangover 2” can be released on schedule this week despite a tattoo artist’s lawsuit over the inclusion of a Mike Tyson-style tattoo on the face of Ed Helms’ character.
But the tattoo artist is claiming victory because the judge said he had a strong likelihood of ultimately winning his copyright claim against Warner Bros.
Pete Salsich, an attorney for artist S. Victor Whitmill, said U.S. District Court Judge Catherine D. Perry declined his motion to prevent the release of the film this weekend because innocent third parties — theater owners — would be harmed.
But Salsich said the judge agreed in open court that the copyright claim was strong, saying, “Most of the defendant’s arguments against this are just silly. Of course tattoos can be copyrighted.”…
https://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/hangover-2-can-be-released-tyson-tattoo-judge-says-27658