Kat Von D

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D won a resounding victory Friday at the copyright infringement trial over a tattoo she inked on a friend free of charge seven years ago. Nine jurors took less than three hours to unanimously decide the tattoo wasn’t “substantially similar” enough to the reference photo she used. The photo was a copyrighted portrait of jazz legend Miles Davis that was taken in 1989. “I knew that if we didn’t fight this that I just think it would have done so much harm to an industry that has…

Kat Von D took the witness stand at her copyright infringement trial in California on Wednesday and told jurors she’s inked thousands of tattoos based off photographs and never once sought a licensing agreement because she considers the practice “fan art.” The artist who shot to fame on the reality shows Miami Ink and LA Ink is being sued for copyright infringement by a photographer who claims she unlawfully reproduced his “iconic” 1989 photo of jazz legend Miles Davis in both a design that she inked on her…

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D appeared in a Los Angeles federal courtroom Tuesday to fight claims she stole a photographer’s “iconic” portrait of jazz legend Miles Davis and tattooed it on a friend without proper credit or compensation. The former star of reality shows Miami Ink and LA Ink sat before a jury as her lawyer alleged in his opening statement that Von D only used the famous photo for “inspiration” as she created a “completely different” work applied to her friend’s arm free of charge seven years…