Branding Takes on a New Meaning

Posted By: Law is Cool March 19, 2008

It might be a corporate marketer’s dream.

Millions are already spent on clothing and apparel to increase recognition of a company’s logo or brand.

But some people willingly placing logos on their skin, through tattoos and iron brands.

One that has reached particular infamy is the Google tattoo, apparently from China.

Others have since followed suit.

But what do companies do about protecting their brand from being used without their permission, or in ways they would not approve of?

Can trade mark protections be extended to tattoos?

Can royalties be demanded?

We asked these guys, who appear to be in the know with everything tattoos and otherwise (Warning: site contains very graphic images).

Maybe they have an answer.

About the Author

Law is Cool
This site is intended to provide a resource for those interested in law. Current law students, graduates preparing for their bar exam, and members of the general public, can all benefit from a deeper understanding of the legal framework that helps shape our society.

3 Comments on "Branding Takes on a New Meaning"

  1. Giselle | October 18, 2008 at 2:11 pm |

    More than protecting brand, the real problem is why people want to be like it. That’s a very big social problem, because we’re talking about personal identity. After all, they are making promotions of these companies. Why these tattoos could be a problem for them? Bad use? I don’t think so.

  2. David | October 19, 2008 at 2:30 am |

    I had to laugh (well, grin…) to see the warning about graphic images. However, you apparently referred to the site as a joke only, since it actually contains an article by a lawyer from about 5 years ago directly on point. Doing research for a paper a few years ago, I discovered thanks to a Google search a relevant article on that site, and cited it in a footnote together with a warning (I’ve edited it for length):

    “See e.g. Marisa Kakoulas, “The Tattoo Copyright Controversy”, found at
    http://www.bmezine.com/news/guest/20031208.html
    … The reader is warned – as this author discovered – that this website for the most part does not deal with such interesting legal issues, but appears to contain a large number of images of tattoos, piercings, etc. and even more extreme alterations to various body parts, some of which are not usually visible.”

  3. Andy Morgan | February 6, 2010 at 1:27 pm |

    We are living in a society where every day we see new trends. For example if there is new film people will start pretending to be like the characters in the films. On the other hand there are people who will make tatoos of that character on their body. Now according to this article people are using corporate logos…….. A question arise what will come next?

Comments are closed.