StephMichelle wrote:
how would you go about gettting a tatt copywrighted

Well like any other copyright-protectable thing it is probably under protection automatically at the moment of creation.

How do you document it and register it with the copyright office for added protection?

I'm not sure. Check with them. I'd guess you send in a photo of the tattoo, a form, and a fee.

StephMichelle wrote:
how would you go about gettting a tatt copywrighted

digital Artform wrote:
Well like any other copyright-protectable thing it is probably under protection automatically at the moment of creation.

How do you document it and register it with the copyright office for added protection?

I'm not sure. Check with them. I'd guess you send in a photo of the tattoo, a form, and a fee.

I believe if you took a photograph of it, and registered it with the copyright office (not as a photograph, but as a drawing), it would suffice, similar to registering an artists drawing or painting. But I'm not an IP attorney, there may be something special (exclusion) for creations on a human body. I've never inquired.

Cosmetic Couture wrote:
I also have tattoos and although the tattoo artist drew them, they were all my concept and I paid for them.  I am sure D. Beckham at least had the concept he wanted for the tattoo before letting the artist go to town on his skin.  Therefore, he should own full rights.  He paid someone to execute the artwork...commisioned it, if you will.  He owns the rights.

You'd like to think so wouldn't you? But I'm not so sure, its not like hiring a painter to paint your house. Remember, when a photographer is hired (commissioned) to photograph something, he owns the copyright to it the moment he clicks the shutter. It doesn't matter if he didn't think of the concept. In fact, many times when I shoot commercial or advertising jobs, there is an art director and client rep standing next to me, and approving what I'm doing (checking viewfinder or LCD screen, or in the old days, a Polaroid), and/or I'm working from a sketch they provided using models they hired, with clothes they rented, in a studio they're paying for. And I own the copyright. Is this a great country or what? (At least until they change the copyright law, but that's another thread).

The only way around this for them is to hire me as an employee (and provide all my equipment, health insurance, tax withholding, etc) or have me sign a work-for-hire agreement, which I won't do (and most working pros won't either). So we own the copyright, and license the images to our clients per their specific needs.

Now, how you'd do that with a tattoo is beyond me. I guess when you have a tattoo made, the fee you pay can be considered a licensing fee, not that the artist could take it back, but in the case of Beckham, he may not have the intellectual property rights to re-license those images to a third party, except that they're on him - and as a celebrity he can and does pose for photographs where the tattoos are incidental. Its an interesting question, but probably similar to wearing a piece of identifiable clothing in a photograph, something that is not protected by the clothing manufacturer, unless a trademarked symbol is shown.

DivaStyle Hair - Makeup wrote:
There's no way you could copywrite hairstyles, bodypaint or makeup because you have to consider. Even if the hairstyle could be copied exact it still wouldn't be the same because its not on the same model. And we all know that certain features change the way the hairstyle or even makeup looks on each person.  So it would be pointless.

Yeah, I've done the same portrait on several people (at their request) and gotten a totally different result.  Copyrighting a hairstyle would be beyond pointless.

Philipe wrote:

I copy H.R Giger and Hajime Sorayama
Well..thats what I think of when I body paint...

Dali did paintings of other artist work......

I'm no Dali or even a cracker jack artist...
I'm just Philip'e

AH Sorayama....I have a print in my home...LOVE IT! Sorry to thread-jack...just sayin'!