Take it Off!? Tattoos and Copyright Infringement via the Human Body: The Strange Case of Warner Bros., Hollywood, Mike Tyson and S. Victor Whitmill, Tattoo Artist

"Be careful what you have tattooed on your body and what you do with it" might be the motto for The Hangover Part II (make sure you see the video at that link!), a Warner Brothers movie that "parodies" (or not) a Mike Tyson tattoo, a use which has resulted in a copyright infringement action, with "fair use" being raised as the defense. You will see the use of the tattoo in the video clip.

Noam Cohen at the New York Times discusses the suit in a delightful article on copyright infringement and tattoos at Replica Tyson Tattoo in New Movie Draws Artist’s Lawsuit - or - just because it is on your body does not mean you own it. Cohen asks:

"If a tattoo clearly violates copyright — say, exactly reproduces a Keith Haring drawing or an Annie Leibovitz photograph without permission — could a court order it removed?"

"Take it off" as a rule of law?

Intellectual property at its best -- or worst -- depending on where you stand.

The Chains of Law and Order: Be Careful What You Wish For: Voice of America Reports on Spain Demonstrations as Inspired by Arab Protests

It is one thing to be for democracy but quite another to cope with what mass democratically-inspired civil unrest can actually mean.

Law and order may be our chains, but they also protect us.

Lauren Frayer at Voice of America News reports on the newest unrest -- in Europe of all things -- in Inspired by Arab Protests, Spain's Unemployed Rally for Change.

Mass movements have been successful historically in deposing oppressive and/or unpopular governments, but the "revolutionary" replacements are not guaranteed to be more democratic and can in fact be far more oppressive than what people had in the first place. Worse, "law and order" can suffer greatly in the interim periods.

You have to be careful what you wish for.

It is imperative that European Union Member States organize their societies in such a manner that mass unemployment is not an issue, otherwise one should not be surprised to discover civil unrest at one's doorstep. Currently, "the pie" is not fairly divided and civil unrest is to some degree pre-programmed.

LinkedIn Initial Public Offering (IPO) Stock Price More than Doubles on the First Day and Levels Off in the Second as Traders Take Profits

The Financial Times in an article by Telis Demos in New York City reports in LinkedIn shares dip on profit-taking that after an initial public offering of $45 per share, which zoomed as high as $122 on the first day of trading, that the stock dipped to $93.09 on the second day of trading due to profit-taking. For those smart enough to buy low and sell high, this was a quick way to double your money or better. Some of those same traders may now reportedly be looking to see how they can short the stock, so that a solid LinkedIn marekt valuation may still be up in the air. Who really knows?

The initial $45 price was apparently determined by valueing LinkedIn at ca. 17 times its past year of sales (2010) -- the price-to-sales ratio-- according to Maggie Shiels at BBC News, whereas the short-term high of $122 per share represented 39 times the annual sales. Demos reports that Facebook trades in private markets at a price which would value the company at ca. 30 times annual sales, according to Nyppex. On the other hand, as reported by Maggie Shiels at BBC News in LinkedIn share price raises bubble fears, Google trades at only 6 times its annual sales, whereas the DealBook at the New York Times notes that Facebook of China went public in May and currently trades at 70 times the price-to-sales ratio. At least that gives one some reference points on the present market-based stock value of social networking sites.

Please be advised that this is not an offer to sell securities nor is it advice of any kind on stock purchasing or selling. It is merely a commentary on the LinkedIn IPO. We make make no guarantees or warranties of accuracy about anything since we report everything second-hand. Markets can fluctuate wildly. Caveat emptor.