WWE 2K Loses Randy Orton Tattoo Lawsuit
A lawsuit revolving around the use of Randy Orton's tattoos in WWE video games has been raging on for the last four years. In 2018, tattoo artist Catherine Alexander filed a lawsuit against 2K and parent company Take-Two Interactive, claiming her work was used in its games without her permission. That lawsuit has finally come to an end, and the jury has ruled in favor of Alexander.
WWE 2K Loses The Lawsuit
As reported by VGC, Alexander claimed that designs you can see all over Orton's upper body are her intellectual property. Therefore, since 2K and Take-Two didn't ask for her permission for those designs to be included in WWE 2K16, 2K17, and 2K18, she deserved compensation. More compensation than the $450 WWE offered her in 2009 when she disputed her tattoos being used on Orton's merch.
The jury awarded Alexander $3750 in damages, and although that doesn't sound like a lot, it may well open the floodgates for other tattoo artists who have seen their work show up in WWE video games. That's a fine line to tread for artists who work on WWE Superstars regularly as instigating legal action against the employers of someone who brings them a lot of business might lose them more money than they're set to make through a lawsuit.
What It Means For The Future Of WWE 2K
It might also mean WWE Superstars are less like their real-life counterparts in future games. It's unlikely Orton will have his tattoos in future 2K installments if doing so will mean Alexander returns to file another lawsuit. Unless the two parties can come to an agreement beforehand, of course. It won't be the first time tattoos are removed for the sake of a WWE game, though. CM Punk's Pepsi logo was altered in older WWE games, and Braun Strowman's Superman logo was removed entirely.
The future of WWE video games as a whole remains up in the air right now. Although 2K22 appears to have ensured 2K will continue to make WWE games for now, there were rumors higher-ups met with EA ahead of potentially switching things up. There has also been no talk of WWE 2K23, hinting that there will continue to be two years between games moving forward.
TheSportster Podcast has returned! Check out the latest episodes of the show where Jim Parsons and Norman Quarrinton cover the latest news and events happening in the worlds of WWE, AEW and more!
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmenrLJufspmo6irlah6s63NnbBmp6KpvK9505qrraefYrmiw9KuoK1n