The battle over LeBron James’ tattoos has been ongoing since 2017. But tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden is taking his case with Take-Two and 2K to court.
A jury voted unanimously on Friday in favor of Take-Two Interactive Software and rejected tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden’s claims that the video game maker violated copyrights when recreating Los Angeles Lakers supersatar LeBron James in its NBA 2K series. After a week in Ohio court, the jury determined Take-Two has an implied license to recreate James’ tattoos, something that was extended to the game maker from James’ agreement with the company.
Hayden first sued Take-Two in 2017 over the use of several tattoos he made for James that were reproduced in NBA 2K games from 2016 to 2020.
Take-Two attorney Dale Cendali said the company is “gratified” for the verdict. He continued: “The decision is an important decision for the entertainment industry. It is also an important decision for anyone who has ever gotten a tattoo and might have otherwise worried about their freedom to share their bodies with their tattoos. And it is a good development for tattoo artists as a contrary verdict could have discouraged people from getting tattoos at a time when the art form is flourishing.” Hayden’s lawyers have not responded to Polygon’s request for comment.
Hayden was originally suing over six tattoos he created for James, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko ruled against the artist in early 2024, saying Hayden could only sue over two of those six tattoos: a tattoo of stars, and another of James’ mother’s name, Gloria.
The jury trial began Monday with opening arguments, where Hayden’s attorney Todd Tucker said Take-Two “painstakingly copied” Hayden’s work for the game, according to local news outlet Cleveland.
