PSA about the TSA

[velvetpage]

If you're flying in or about the US in upcoming weeks, you might be interested in this.

Comments

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

It would seem to me that trademark of your own image is inherent in personhood - that someone must have permission to use that image in any way.

Which is, of course, the whole point: people are giving the TSA the right to use the images for that specific purpose, and we have no idea what other purposes they might be used for after that. And that's not even counting my discomfort with having my naked body viewed by someone in a security room somewhere for the stated purpose.

[dagoski.livejournal.com]

Don't wade into the ocean of US trademark law without a flotation vest, lifeline, harpoon launcher and, at least, a destroyer backing you up. The history of trademark law is littered with the dessicated corpses of innovative firms. There have been cases where larger companies destroyed smaller ones by purposely infringing on their trademarks for force them into costly litigation. The way the law is worded, you have to zealously defend the trademark of lose it. Were I gainfully employed, I would do this. As it is, I'd go bankrupt PDQ unless I could find a lawyer with the same sense of humor as me. Even so, I have to wonder if copyrighting the image of your body would work. Copyright lets you go after people who infringe with the assumption you own it. Trademark law seems to work backwards. Anyway, I know I'd need a lawyer to deal with any of this.