Celebrity tattoo artist speaks out over Kat Von D's 'first-of-its kind' lawsuit before she blacked out entire body
A celebrity tattoo artist has shared his thoughts on the 'first-of-its-kind' lawsuit that Kat Von D was slapped with which led her to put down the tattoo gun for good.
Claudio Traina reckons that the two-year legal battle, which the former LA Ink star ended up embroiled in, was 'ridiculous' and in his opinion, it seemed like something of a 'money grab'.
For those who don't know about how Von D's courtroom clash which resulted in her abandoning her career as a tattoo artist, it all started in 2017 when she inked a portrait on her pal free of charge.
She etched an image of jazz icon Miles Davis on her mate's arm and photographer Jeff Sedlik ended up suing her for copyright infringement.
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In the 'first-of-its-kind' lawsuit, the college professor and professional snapper claimed that Von D had replicated a 1989 portrait he took of Davis without giving him proper credit or compensation.
The former makeup mogul decided to 'fight' Sedlik in court as she believed that if she simply rolled over, 'the damage to the tattoo industry and other artists would be so immense, that she couldn’t live with herself'.
"I lost weight, I lost hair, and I lost many nights of sleep over it," Von D previously told Inked Magazine. "As much as I knew this person didn’t deserve a penny from me, there were times that I wanted to settle just to make it stop.
"I know first-hand what it feels like to be ripped off by people, and there’s not one part of me that believes tattooing fan art is a crime."
A jury ended up ruling in her favour and the artist subsequently slammed Sedlik's lawsuit as an effort to get 'his 15 minutes of fame - and a fat pay cheque'...and Traina shares the same sentiment.
The Italian tattoo artist and owner of the uber cool SixtyInk studio based in Soho, London, has adorned the skin of thousands of his clients with his bespoke artwork - including stars such as Yung Blud, Doja Cat, Kate Hudson and the late Lil Peep.
Traina spoke to LADbible about why he's on Von D's side and said of the lawsuit lodged by Sedlik: "It’s ridiculous. Using a photo as reference for a realistic tattoo isn’t copyright infringement.
"When I studied art, that’s exactly what we were trained to do: study, reference, learn from existing images. It’s how artists have always worked.
"If that’s considered illegal, then every art student in the world should be sued."
Traina said he couldn't fathom why Von D's inking got under Sedlik's skin and suggested that the photographer should have actually taken her tattoo of Davis as a compliment.
"At the end of the day, this wasn’t about stealing, it was about paying tribute," Traina continued. "Someone wanted to carry an iconic image on their skin, permanently. That’s respect, not theft. To me, it feels like a money grab.
"And it’s ironic, coming from an industry that photographs and profits off people’s likenesses daily without consent."
The year after Von D's 2019 court triumph, she opted to cover up the majority of her tattoos by blacking them out, telling fans she had become 'fed up' of them.
"I personally grew tired of waking up to them, and seeing those constant reminders every time I looked in a mirror," she said at the time. "Also, I really love the aesthetic.
"I know it's not for everyone but it is very satisfying to me to see a clean slate when I look down onto my arms."
In 2020, she sat for 17 sessions which spanned over a course of almost 40 hours to conceal the 'landmarks in time' that decorated her body.
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly later followed suit for similar reasons, explaining he had a lot of 'chaotic' designs on his skin that no longer 'resonated' with him - so he got rid by getting a blackout tattoo across most of his upper body.
Explaining why he believes this had become a popular trend among both famous faces and average folks, Traina told LADbible: "A lot of my clients lately are covering old tattoos, not because they regret being tattooed, but because they’ve outgrown what those pieces meant. People change. They evolve. Sometimes the artwork just doesn’t represent who they are anymore.
"When you’re heavily tattooed, a blackout can be the simplest and most cohesive way to start again.
"Look at Kat Von D, or even Machine Gun Kelly. My girlfriend did the same thing; she wasn’t happy with her old colourful arm piece, so she blacked it out completely.
"Why all black? Because it’s clean, powerful, timeless. It still is a tattoo; the problem was never having tattoos, it was the subject."
LADbible has contacted Sedlik for comment.
Olivia Burke