Athletes’ tattoos, copyright, and who owns what

Article in the New York Times examining the issues presented by depicting athletes in video games, and the possibility that the tattoo artist retains an interest in their work (original work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression).  Thus, a human, or skin, is now a tangible medium of expression.

Seems like a simple agreement at the point of origin would fix most of these issues going forward.

Link to the New York Times article:  NYT article on who owns what athlete tattoos and video games

NCAA settles Keller case for $20 Million

The lawsuit brought by former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback, Sam Keller against video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) and the NCAA has been settled.  The reported settlement amount is $20 Million.

A statement by the CLO of the NCAA expressed that the timing of the settlement is based on the fact that the video games are no longer in production, as well as Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and EA having settled out of the case as well.

The administrator of this site, http://www.RightofPublicity.com joined SAG and other notable rights holders (via Luminary Group) in filing an amicus brief in support of Keller.

It is not entirely clear yet how the settlement funds will be distributed amongst certain affected college athletes, but more information can be found on this link:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2091133-ncaa-agrees-to-20m-settlement-in-ea-video-game-lawsuit