to be pissed off that my "unique" tattoo is showing up all over the place?

[starshaker]

A few years ago I went searching for my perfect tattoo. I spent a lot of time looking for somebody who's drawing style I loved. Turns out the guy was in the USA but we spoke over skype and he came up with a design that I loved. He emailed the image and I found the tattooist I wanted to put it on my skin.

Anyway now, a couple of years on I keep seeing it popping up on the net. AIBU to be pissed that my tattoo is being copied

This is really interesting. Do you think someone local to you took photos of your tattoo without you knowing, copied it and put it out there? If it was designed by you and the American guy, and he hasn't made it public who else could it be? The person that inked your tattoo? I would be really annoyed if this happened to me and would have to get to the bottom of it.

I should also point out that the german tattooist has a whole series of similar flower designs that were clearly designed by the same person, so unless they stole OP's tattoo somehow and they designed a whole series around them, some of them a good few years ago, it suggests that perhaps OP's designer is not as original as thought....

It's a couple of flowers with a wiggly line around it. Unless you have actually copyrighted it then I'm sorry, YABVU

I have looked at this guys work and it is amazing. I'm obviously wrong in thinking what I had was original. The only thing I can think of is we must have see this somewhere and it stuck in our head while designing mine.

Next time I think I will go straight to this guy

Woah that Florian Karg guy is awesome.

I don't think it 'stuck in your head' - it's clearly a direct copy!

I don't mean you copied it (or you wouldn't have felt compelled to post this), but your designer did.

In fact I would ask him for a refund.

How does it make you feel about your 'unique' tattoo?

I can see why you were originally miffed but if you like it that should be what really matters and it did come from a good artist (Karg) in a way.

I was a bit snippy in earlier comments (bad mood, sorry) but seriously, from a proper search, I think it has to be that guys. It's attached to his name over and over.
image search here
It is really nice though ;)

I'm guessing you paid your guy for his 'unique' design if you then got someone else to tattoo it onto you so I'd definitely be asking for your money back.

That Florian guy's work is incredible if a little scary

He might start a thread saying he's pissed off that his unique tattoo is showing up all over the place

Stuck in your head, right down to the squiggles? What ARE they by the way?!?!

Also how good and original is this designer guy of he's prepared to email over a PIC of 'his' art for another local artist to knock up a copy. Of he had something truly original he would have surely wouldn't have allowed any Tom, Dick or Harry to do copies of something truly original. I can't see Lucien Freud knocking up pencil sketches for anyone to have a go at reproducing for money or Enzo Ferrari selling technical blueprints and a box of parts to let any backstreet mechanic have a go at knocking up a Ferrari F40.

So the 'design process' with this guy in America was you asked for 2 roses, he did a Google image search and sent you a knock off of something he found? You need words and your money back.

The guy who designed it (or not as the case may be) lives in the US. I live in the UK. He couldn't tattoo it even if he was a tattooist which he wasn't. Hes just an artist who's style I loved

He's an artist alright- a con artist!

You're in the UK, 'designer' lives in America, and tattooist is Polish?

I'm waiting for the friend who's German/Italian child isn't enrolled in school, and is sleeping on your couch

Is this not like Primark or H&M knocking off copies of designer dresses though? I mean you can pay thousands for a dress from Alexander McQueen and then find a version of it on the high street. It just seems to be accepted that there is almost no such thing as a unique design and whatever someone comes up with will be copied by others. It's not just clothes either, it's watches, bags, furniture, textiles etc.

I can see the similarities between your tattoo and the others posted but they are not identical, in some the flowers aren't even pointing the same way. It's ironic after all that too that it seems that your designer knocked the idea off himself!

Looks to me like the guy who did your tattoo was 'borrowing' ideas from elsewhere!

Very common style of tattooing, sorry. Beautiful but there are many studios who now specialise in that style.

At least it's not a feather with birds breaking out!

At least it's not a feather with birds breaking out

Is there something wrong having a tattoo with a feather with birds breaking out of?

You are missing the copyright notice on your tattoo.

Is there something wrong having a tattoo with a feather with birds breaking out of?

it's the 2013 version of tribal tatts innit

OMG, I don't have a tattoo, I don't plan on ever having one but I am fascinated by them and have just spend half an hour looking at feathers and '10 tattoos NOT to get' - some tattoo artists write very eloquent blogs.