Survey Finds Harley Top Trademark Tattoo
16 November 2012
A survey of Melbourne tattoo businesses found Harley Davidson to be the top brand tattoo, according to a survey released by Melbourne-based law firm Nicholas Weston.
The survey also found that of those receiving a tattoo, only 2 to 5% receive a brand tattoo, with those predominantly in the 18-25 age group. In every case, the brand tattoo was requested by the recipient rather than suggested by the tattooist, the survey said.
Nicholas Weston reported that tattooists said that brand tattoos were obtained on impulse in some cases and as a carefully considered choice in others.
The survey was conducted during May with 20 tattoo businesses surveyed using a telephone interview questionnaire. The survey asked tattooists whether they had ever tattooed a registered trademarked brand or logo onto someone’s body and if so, which ones are popular, what age groups get them and whether the recipient was drunk or affected by drugs at the time.
Harley Davidson was followed in popularity by Nike, AFL (Australian Rules) club logos, Vegemite, VB beer and various Disney characters.
Firm principal Nick Weston told The New Lawyer on May 18 that the firm’s decision to study trademark tattoos was just his “dumb idea.” He told The New Lawyer that “I come up with a couple of dumb ideas from time to time” and that he conducted the survey in order to provide material for his Australian Trade Marks Law Blog.
“The blog is a hungry creature. It was a bit quiet in the courts that week,” he said.
