Drawing in Permanent Ink: Copyright Law and Tattoos

Drawing in Permanent Ink Gikii Returns, London, 2007

Warning: Nudity and gore This is EXTREME IP after all...

Not this geek...

geek | ēk||gik| |giːk| g noun informal 1 an unfashionable or socially inept person. [with adj. ] a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest : a computer geek. 2 a carnival performer who does wild or disgusting acts.

Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past. -Jack London

“Attempting to bring lawyers in always makes things worse. They are the Harpies, they shit on everything they feed on. N o on e in th eir r igh t m in d would ever tr y to br in g la wyer s in to th e ta ttoo wor ld, es pecia lly n ot for s om eth in g a s tr ivia l a s th is . They will look for those who want to celebrate their status as victims, and those of us who want to live lives of creativity will suffer.”

Some ink...

“This is copyright!”

©? “original work fixed in a tangible medium of expression”

ownership?

Settled out of court

Ownership possibilities • The tattoo client • The tattoo artist • The tattoo parlour owner • Third parties with a copyright over the work • (a combo of the above)

1. Client - enough for a copyright in the work? 2. Client/Artist - employer/employee or work for hire?

2. Artist - “sweat of the brow”?

2. Artist - carbon copyist or transformative work? (similar to digitisation of public domain art)

4. Tattoo parlours • Most artists are independent contractors • Very fact specific • If employer, then owns any copyright created by artist

Third party copyright

Implied licences

Implied licences • Right to alter the tattoo -- derivative works on the skin • Photograph/video of the tattoo -- other derivative uses • Right to publicly display • ___ • Any right to unique custom work by the client?

Industry recommendations

Contract recommendations • Custom work - assignment or licence • Other work - assignment or licence of any copyright that artist may have • Indeminification by client for the artist for any supplied work • Reservation or licence-back of right for artist to use photos of the work • Client agrees to credit the artist in commercial photos

Other questions

Moral Rights Attribution - Yokohama Tattoo Museum and Tokyo Medical School • Derogatory treatment - tattoo cover ups / touch ups?

R b . G r o n in g e n , 3 1 Ma y 2 0 0 2 , L J N AE 3 7 2 7 (N eth er la n ds ) orders tattoo removal based on portrait rights

Avoidance Fair use / fair dealing / private copying / three step test • very fact specific • Human rights • ECHR vs. the United States

Other IPRs...

• Traditional Knowledge • Personality rights • Privacy rights • Trademark

Concluding thoughts

Celebrities

Thanks! Jordan S. Hatcher jordan@opencontentlawyer.com

Nessie from the Family Ness http://www.familyness.co.uk/ http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/06/22/cartoon-loch-ness-monster-tattoo/ Gangsta backpiece http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/07/14/gangster-portraiture-tattoo/ Snoop http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/07/17/snoop-dogg-portrait-tattoo/ This is sparta http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/11/this-really-is-sparta/ pacman ass http://modblog.bmezine.com/2005/11/21/pacman-maze-ass/ pacman feet http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/11/laa-laas-pac-man-tattoo/ coors http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/20/dude-likes-his-beer/ Tetris http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/09/14/tetris-tattoo/

Three amigos http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/09/13/the-three-amigos/ Dusty Bottoms (Chase) Lucky Day (Steve Martin) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) Koi armpiece http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/09/09/bright-coloured-coverup/ brains http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/09/07/jeff-soto-inspired-coverup/ Jeff Soto cover http://www.jeffsoto.com/ tattoo removal http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/30/as-seen-at-live-free-or-die-manchester/ don't panic http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/28/dont-panic-foot-script/ Never looking back http://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/05/17/note-to-self-2/

hit mehttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/05/17/note-to-self-2/ adrenalynn richardsonhttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/28/me-on-him/ bomber sleevehttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/25/bomber-sleeve-rotation/ don quixote by picassohttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/25/don-quixote-by-picasso-tattoo/ Spider man sleeve http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/24/spider-man-sleeve/ chest censoredhttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/18/chest-censored/ Elephant Rib Panle http://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/12/elephant-rib-panel/ superbrighthttp://modblog.bmezine.com/2007/08/10/thats-some-bright-work/

+CiRcUs+highwaygirl67http://flickr.com/photos/highwaygirl67/1306590393/by-nc-nd star tat armhttp://www.bmeink.com/A70831/high/bmepb601990.jpg

Thanks! Jordan S. Hatcher Jordan at opencontentlawyer dot com

Drawing in Permanent Ink: Copyright Law and Tattoos

by Jordan Hatcher

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