24 May,2011 08:40 AM IST | | Agencies
Artiste S Victor Whitmill who inked boxing legend Mike Tyson's famous face tattoo, has sued the makers of The Hangover 2 for parodying his work. This might delay the release of the sequel to the hit 2009 film.
The movie sees one of the protagonists sporting similar body art and Whitmill is suing the movie studio for copyright infringement.
Tyson, who has a small role in the film, is not named in the suit. But lawyers say the proceedings are not merely frivolous, and could possibly delay release of the much-anticipated film, now set for release this Thursday.
In the film, actor Ed Helms reprises his character, except this time he wakes up in a bathtub, only to discover that he has a tattoo inked over half of his face. The ink job closely resembles the tattoo Mike Tyson famously received in 2003.
Whitmill has filed a motion asking a judge to order Warner Brothers to stop using what he calls his 'tribal tattoo' in its posters or in the movie.
That would effectively block the film from being released, or at least delay it. Whitmill is also seeking monetary damages for what he deemed "reckless copyright infringement".
Warner Brothers responded to the judge in a brief, pointing out that delaying the film at this point would be hugely expensive.
