Controversial Art: Tattoos vs. Copyright Protections
Kat Von D tattooing the Miles Davis photograph, as shared on her Instagram. Screenshot from court filing. Tattoos, once wildly controversial, are now a common form of self-expression, with nearly one in three Americans having at least one tattoo . While tattoos seem both commonplace and generally accepted, the law has failed to adapt to this cultural shift, specifically copyright law. Copyright protects the direct copying of creative works, and tattoos present a complicated challenge: many...