Cardi B recently won a copyright infringement lawsuit against tattoo model Kevin Michael Brophy over the cover art for Gangsta B*tch Music Vol. 1 CD with mixtape, released in 2016. TMZ reported that Cardi sued in 2017 over a tattoo of a woman that appeared on the cover of the rapper’s 2016 mixtape album. The WAP hitmaker can be seen on the cover sitting in a limo with a man’s head at her feet.
Despite the fact that the man’s face is obscured by the camera, the cover shows a tiger and snake tattoo on his back. Brophy said that the model’s tattoo matched his tattoo and that the cover was “a spoof of his looks”.
While lawyers for both sides acknowledged that the modified artwork on the album cover was freely available online, Brophy’s attorney argued that the image led many to assume that the character on the cover was Brophy.
I just won this lawsuit…I’m so emotional right now 🥲…I want to kiss God’s feet right now…..I’m SO THANKS!!!!
– Cardi B (@iamcardib) October 21, 2022
Earlier, the tattooed model told the court that the cover was “against everything” he represented:
“Looks like I’m having sex or*l*x with someone other than my wife or partner, and that’s a photo I never signed.” As a father of two, a devoted wife and a man of faith, this goes against everything I believe in and I would never sign anything like that.”
Cardi B’s cover photo, according to Brophy’s attorney, caused him “anxiety and loss of reputation,” and the man has claimed $5 million in damages.
All about Kevin Michael Brophy
Kevin Michael Brophy is a tattoo model who works in Newport Beach, California as the marketing director for surf and roller equipment brand RVCA. In an interview with Courthouse News Service, Brophy said he works for a “surfing and socially responsible lifestyle” business. Brophy made headlines in 2017 when he sued Cardi B over Gangsta B*tch Music Vol. 1 mixtape art tattoo album cover. Little is known about Brophy’s personal life and he is not present on any public social networking sites.
What does Cardi B say about the album cover tattoo lawsuit?
Cardi B has won a legal battle against Kevin Michael Brophy over a tattoo on the cover of her 2016 mixtape album. Brophy’s allegations were countered by the rapper’s attorney, Peter J. Anderson, who also said it was “unlikely” to mistake the guy on Cardi’s cover for model albums:
“This is a hairy black man, and this is a clean shaven white man.”
According to The Rolling Stone, Anderson also said he could not name “any individual, member of the public, or any acquaintance” who mistook Brophy for the guy on Card’s album cover:
“You did it to your own detriment.” He did this by identifying himself as the person in the photo and no one else did.”
The defense team further stressed that the tattoos featured on the model in Cardi’s album were discovered on Google but turned into “newly produced artwork” after a series of arguments. On Friday, a federal jury ruled in Cardi B’s favor, saying the cover didn’t detract from Brophy’s look. When speaking to Rolling Stone, the rapper’s attorney called the parties involved “polite winners” and said that Michael Brophy and Cardi B shook hands after the ruling.
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Source: HIS Education