Tattoos As Intellectual Property- An Indian Perspective

INTRODUCTION:

Tim Parks in his book¹ wrote "You will only have copyright in a society that places a very high value on the individual, the individual intellect, the products of individual intellect." In an overtly aware society like ours, there is no doubt that we not only value but are also more aware of our rights. In addition to our awareness, there is something else that is more peculiar about present times – our curiosity and our need to keep evolving with time. With this constant need for metamorphosis, our technology and art forms also are changing at a rapid scale, leading to the foundation and formation of various industries emerging from them including the Tattoo industry. This body graphics phenomenon, while may seem to have gained popularity very recently, has its roots inked all the way back in CA. 8000 BP where a 'moustache' was found tattooed on the upper lip of the South American Chinchorro mummy². With the tattoo industry growing to become a $1