Article
Tattoos & IP Norms
Aaron Perzanowski
†
Introduction ............................................................................... 512
I. A History of Tattoos .............................................................. 516
A. The Origins of Tattooing ......................................... 516
B. Colonialism & Tattoos in the West ......................... 518
C. The Tattoo Renaissance .......................................... 521
II. Law, Norms & Tattoos ........................................................ 525
A. Formal Legal Protection for Tattoos ...................... 525
B. Client Autonomy ...................................................... 532
C. Reusing Custom Designs ......................................... 539
D. Copying Custom Designs ........................................ 541
1. Defining Copying ................................................ 542
2. Detection & Enforcement .................................. 549
3. The Harms of Copying ....................................... 554
E. Copying Flash .......................................................... 557
F. Copying Other Visual Art ....................................... 560
III. Explaining Tattoo Norms .................................................. 567
A. Tattoo Culture .......................................................... 569
B. Tattoo Economics ..................................................... 575
1. Norms as Collective Self-Interest ..................... 577
2. Norms as Exclusionary Practices ...................... 581
IV. Lessons from the Tattoo Industry ..................................... 584
A. The Role of Non-Legal Incentives ........................... 584
B. Customization & Service ......................................... 587
Conclusion .................................................................................. 590
† Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Thanks to Dave Fagundes,...