The execs behind this summer’s blockbuster “The Hangover: 2” were facing heat prior to the movie’s release, with a lawsuit on the table from the creator of Mike Tyson’s infamous face tattoo. In the movie, Ed Helms’ character wakes up with the same tattoo on his face (after a wild night), and the original tattoo artist that did Mike’s tat was none-too-pleased that he’d never given consent for the usage of the copywritten art. He’d tried to stop the release of the movie all together and was unsuccessful, but Warner Bros. is still willing to work with him and plan to digitally alter the face tattoo on the DVD version of the movie.
Via TMZ:
The studio filed new docs on Monday in their legal battle with S. Victor Whitmill — who inscribed the tribal face tat on Tyson back in 2003 — claiming, “Warner Bros. does not intend to make any use of the allegedly infringing tattoo after the film ends its run in the theaters because Warner Bros. will digitally alter the film to substitute a different tattoo on Ed Helms’s face.”
As we previously reported, Whitmill sued the studio back in April claiming copyright infringement — but a judge refused to block the movie’s release.
Whitmill has been threatening to take the matter to trial ever since — but now that Warner Bros. plans to alter the offending ink … the studio insists a trial won’t be necessary.
