Tuesday 9 November 2010

Errant tattoo artist faces criminal charges

Some implements used for tattooing
Global Times reports that an Australian man faces two charges of assault after reportedly tattooing a 40-centimetre penis on his friend's back after an argument. According to Queensland police, the first charge relates to the application of the indelible mark, the second being for allegedly punching the victim. According to a police spokesman
"The victim wasn't interested at first but he was talked into it and he said he wanted a yin and yang symbol with some dragons. The bloke started doing the tattoo and there was another bloke standing there watching saying, 'Mate, it's looking really good'. When he got home he showed it to the person he lives with and she said, 'I don't think it's the tattoo you were after'."
Aside from the criminal and ethical issues involved, there's also a copyright point: what are the respective economic and moral rights of artist and client/canvas where (i) the work is a commissioned work but does not conform to the terms of the commission, and where (ii) the continued existence of the author's work depends upon the tolerance of the client who bears the art work on his own body?

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