Do We Really Own the Tats on Our Bodies?

Many of us function under the assumption that tattoos on our bodies are ours to display in any form we wish. Intellectual property lawsuits regarding the rights of tattoo artists have begun to highlight a number of questions concerning who owns the art on our bodies.

Most notably, tattoo artists that created works on well-known athletes are fighting video game programmers that re-created tattoos on the animated athletes. Likewise, “The Hangover 2” faced copyright claims when they reproduced Mike Tyson’s tattoo in the film. As reported by the National Post, these issues are not limited to celebrities bearing tattoos. A New York barista, sporting an I <3 NY tattoo on his hand, was threatened with trademark infringement after his hand showed up in an add for his coffee shop.

These disputes bring up somewhat terrifying questions: can a court require the covering or removal of a tattoo found to infringe on intellectual property rights?

Tags: Copyright, lawsuit, Mike Tyson, tattoo, tattoos