By Eleni Paraskevopoulos
For those unfamiliar with the video game franchise, NBA 2K, named 2023’s most popular video game in the U.S., is a series of basketball simulation video games designed to emulate the NBA where basketball enthusiasts can fulfill their NBA dreams by playing as NBA players of both the past and present.[1] A major feature of 2K is the increasingly accurate likeness of NBA players in the playable avatars.[2] In order for there to be optimal likeness, all aspects of players should be accurately represented: from an individual’s height to their eye color to even their tattoos. Tattoos are becoming more important especially when given that as of 2020, an estimated 56% of NBA players have tattoos.[3] So what happens when the tattoo art being reproduced in a 2K, is done so without the permission of the artist and copyright holder?