Why would I want a copyrighted tattoo? Most of our customers want to be the only person on the planet with a particular tattoo. The first step is to avoid "flash" art in the tattoo parlors. For the Spring Breaker on a whim, these ideas are perfect. For the thoughtful tattoo consumer, though, custom design is the only way to go. Now any tattooist worth his/her salt will come up with a custom design for you -- most for a nominal fee. What they may not tell you is that the design belongs to them, and it can be resold again and again. It might even end up in a binder of flash! The only way to ensure that you have a 100% unique tattoo is to have Custom Ink Design design exactly what you want. We will protect it by means of U.S. (and international, if necessary) copyright law. Then you can purchase the right to use the tattoo once or you can ask us to "destroy the mold." With this option, we can never sell that design again!
So what, exactly, am I buying? Some of our customers opt to purchase one-time-use licenses. In this case, the customer receives a copy of the original artwork that they and their tattooist may legally use one time to transfer the design to the skin. At this point, we may advertise and sell that design as many times as we like. For that reason most of our customers opt to "destroy the mold." The customer still receives one copy of the original artwork, which can be used one time for transfer to skin. The difference is that we enter into an agreement never to sell the design again. A third option, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis is that the customer may purchase from us all future rights to a design.
Is this even legal? Of course! U.S. copyright protection was designed to promote science and art by allowing copyright owners a limited monopoly over their discoveries and creations. The constant growth of technology and communications means that art has more and more public exposure every day. Someone could very easily snap a photo of your tattoo on his/her camera-phone, send it to a tattooist, and get a perfect duplicate applied that very day! Such behavior may or may not be ethical or legal, but ensuring that the design is protected through Custom Ink Design would make it expressly illegal and prosecutable. Copyright law is as old as the Constitution, itself. Copyright of tattoos is relatively new, and Custom Ink Design is on the bleeding edge of this exciting development.
Why does it cost so much? You may have noticed that our costs exceed those of the design work of your local tattoo artist. In addition to compensating the artist for his time and creativity, the bulk of our income goes toward the fees and costs of securing patent, copyright, trademark and other legal protections. A percentage is also reserved for the retention of attorneys specializing in our field. Custom Ink Design is dedicated to protecting the legal interests of our customers.
What if I don't like the design? Don't worry. You'll never meet a more flexible designer. We expect a reasonable number of edits and redesigns before the final design is OKed. If we cannot satisfy you, we cannot charge you. Period.
How do I know my local tattooist will even do my tattoo? To the tattooist, a Custom Ink Design tattoo is no different from the other flash art they copy all the time. The tattooist will probably make a stencil to be applied to your skin as a guide for black work, shading, and coloring. You may want to ask your tattooist if his/her name can be posted on our site. Most will have no problem with the free publicity, and we like to give credit where credit is due.
I see what I want, so I'll just have my tattooist change one little detail. Then it's not yours anymore. Ha ha. Nice try, but (as you probably remember from high school English) changing a few words from a copied sentence is still plagiarism. Luckily for us (and for our paying customers) the law protects, not only the original work, but all copies and mimicries -- no matter how poor they may be.
What if I see someone wearing the same Custom Ink Design tattoo? The only way we can prosecute infringement is if the perpetrator can be served legally. Generally, this involves a full name and address. If you can provide us with photographic evidence of copyright infringement and current contact information, the Custom Ink Design legal team will viciously fight to defend the law and seek legal remedy.
What if you haven't answered my question? Then, by all means, contact us!