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For Centuries, Ink On Skin Has Been A Synonym For Social

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For centuries, ink on skin has been a synonym for social markers, group identity, and perpetration of traditions. Tattoos in the past were a permanent hallmark--a stamp of authenticity and a mark of permanent fidelity to a cause, a group, or to an identity. They were a loud statement of culture and belonging. They served as amulets, symbols, and religious traditions. However, nowadays, tattoos seem just the product of a capricious and vain pop culture. They seem cheap and easy souvenirs from travel adventure, bachelorette parties, and army service. They seem a symbol of individualism and capitalism.
With the advent of social media and computer industry, tattoo as shifted from being an expression of traditional culture to being an …show more content…

According to Cotter & Mirabole (2003), to address the above questions properly, we need to take into consideration “the interests of the artists, the intellectual property rights owner, and the human subject (p. 103). In other words, we need to address and resolve authorship and ownership issues. We need to define the author and the owner of the original idea, the author and the owner of the design on paper, and the author and the owner of the ink work on skin. Depending on the circumstances, the author of the idea, the author of the sketch, and the author of the ink design could be the body artist or the human canvas or both. In the same way, the owner of the idea, the owner, of the sketch on paper, and the owner of the ink on the skin could be the body artist, or the human canvas or both. Attribution of ownership and authorship of a tattoo is a very complex matter because the work of art is permanent; the canvas is human flesh, and there is “a clear distinction between a tattoo and the drawings, sketches, or other works of art upon which a tattoo is base” (Minahan, 2015, p. 1727).
For example, in the case of a Disney themed tattoo, The Walt Disney Company has a protected trademark on all the Disney images and characters. Thus, the body artist and the human canvas cannot copy, tattoo, print, publicize, or paint a Walt Disney

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