By Law


A Stolen Tattoo Could Get You Sued

Does a custom tattoo design really have copyright protection?

The simple answer: Yes, an original tattoo design is a copyrightable work. Originality is key. Still, I get a lot of people asking me how any tattoo artist has a copyright for a design of an old school dagger or Japanese-inspired dragon – tattoo motifs that have been around forever. But keep in mind the requirement is that the work be original not unique. This means that a tattoo artist can have copyright protection for a Japanese dragon if the design is his or her own expression of that motif.

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