The photographer who sued Kat Von D over a tattoo explained why he filed what's believed to be a first-of-its-kind lawsuit.
Katherine von Drachenberg, known as Kat Von D professionally, is best known for work as a tattoo artist on TLC reality TV show LA Ink, which came out back in 2007.
The 43-year-old - who has now blacked out 80 percent of her tattoos - was sued in 2021 by photographer Jeff Sedlik over what he thought was a copyright infringement.
Sedlik claimed Von D tattooed a version of his 1989 photo of jazz musician Miles Davis on the arm of a friend.
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In 2024, the tattooist beat the lawsuit after a jury ruled that the tattoo wasn't similar enough to Sedlik's photograph and didn't violate copyright. Von D has since said that doesn't think she will tattoo again.
“We’ve said all along that this case never should have been brought,” Von D’s attorney Allen B. Grodsky stated after the verdict.
“The jury recognised that this was just ridiculous.”
However, Sedlik’s attorney Robert Edward Allen, explained at the time why his client was thinking of appealing the decision.
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“If those two things are not substantially similar, then no one’s art is safe,” Allen said.
“It’s about copying others’ protected works.
“It’s not going to hurt the tattoo industry. The tattoo police are not going to come after anyone.”
During the three-day trial, Von D said she 'made zero money off it' and that she's 'not mass-producing anything'.
“I think I don’t want to ever tattoo again, my heart has been crushed through this in different ways,” she added after the victory. “We’ll see with time.”
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In 2023, the Mexican-born American artist said she spent almost '40 hours' blacking out most of her tattoos.
“I had many tattoos that represented a part of my life that no longer aligns with who I am today,” she admitted.
“Some people are fine with keeping these types of landmarks in time on them — I personally grew tired of waking up to them, and seeing those constant reminders every time I looked in a mirror.
“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.”
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Instead of having them removed via laser like Pete Davidson has done, she said she 'personally wasn’t a good candidate considering how much coverage I wanted to remove'.
Anish Vij