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23.04.2024 - 10:33 / gamesindustry.biz
Take-Two has won its lawsuit against tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden, who claimed that the reproduction of his work on basketball player LeBron James in the NBA 2K series constituted copyright infringement.
As reported by Reuters, an Ohio federal jury gave its verdict on Friday, saying that Take-Two had a licence to use James' image in NBA 2K, de facto including his tattoos as well. It therefore decided it didn't violate Hayden's copyrights.
The attorney representing Take-Two, Kirkland & Ellis' Dale Cendali, gave a statement on the verdict, which she said was an important step for the entertainment industry and "anyone who has ever gotten a tattoo and might have otherwise worried about their freedom to share their bodies with their tattoos."
Hayden first filed a lawsuit against Take-Two in 2017, witn an amended complaint in 2019 arguing copyright infringement.
It's not the first time a tattoo artist sues Take-Two, with Solid Oak Sketches filing a lawsuit in a New York Federal court back in 2016 for similar reasons. A year later, Take-Two argued in court that it was fair use, and ended up winning in 2020.
On the other hand, tattoo artist Catherine Alexander won her own case against Take-Two in 2022, obtaining $3,750 in damages after a jury agreed that reproducing her work on pro wrestler Randy Orton in the WWE 2K series did not constitute fair use.
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Take-Two Interactive recently joined the ever-growing list of video game companies implementing layoffs, with the company announcing that it was cutting 5% of its workforce (roughly 600 jobs) as part of a wider cost-saving initiative that would also see projects being cancelled. Unfortunately, it seems one publishing label operating under the company has been hit the hardest.
Despite having the best-selling game of all time in Grand Theft Auto V, and GTA VI on the way, mega publisher Take-Two Interactive have been going through some belt-tightening, recently cutting 5 percent of its workforce and canceling some projects. When the news of the cuts were first announced, we didn’t know exactly who was impacted or which games had been canned, but we may now have a better idea.
Take-Two is closing two game studios under their Private Division label, with Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games shutting down (as we already knew) and OlliOlli and Rollerdrome studio Roll7 following them into the twilight.
Bloomberg reports that Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive will close two game studios as part of a recently announced plan to lay off 5% of its workforce.
More details have emerged about the ongoing layoffs at Take-Two Interactive, with reports suggesting the publisher has shut down two indie-size studios.
This one's a bummer. Mega-publisher Take-Two Interactive is shuttering Rollerdrome studio Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 team Intercept Games, according to paperwork seen by Bloomberg.
Take-Two is reportedly planning to shut down Private Division studios Roll7 and Intercept Games as part of recently announced restructuring.
Intercept Games is among the many casualties of Take-Two Interactive's layoffs, as its parent company is laying off 70 people from the developer behind the Kerbal Space Program 2.
Intercept Games is reportedly shutting down as Take-Two enacts their cost-reduction plan and layoffs across the company, with the Kerbal Space Program 2 developer’s continued existence now in doubt. Despite this, Take-Two has pledged to continue providing support and updates for the game’s PC Early Access release.
Back in March, TechCrunch broke the news that LinkedIn was quietly testing the waters for games on its platform — word and logic puzzles similar to Wordle. Now, in an effort to attract more users and increase engagement, the platform is launching three of those games officially.
Take-Two appears to be preparing to close its Seattle office this summer, likely as part of the recently announced layoffs across the company.