[cmruloah]

Court bans Rolling Stones tattoo for pony

BERLIN | Thu Nov 18, 2010 2:00pm EST

BERLIN (Reuters) - A court in the northwestern German city of Muenster has banned a man from tattooing his pony with the logo of British rock band the Rolling Stones. The court came to the pony's emotional rescue after the owner shaved off a patch of its hair and pre-tattooed a pattern on its hindquarters of the "Tongue and Lip Design" logo found on albums, t-shirts and other Rolling Stones memorabilia.

The owner said he wanted to make his pony "more unique and beautiful" with the tattoo inspired by a musical group whose albums include the chart-topping "Tattoo You." But the court ruled that his intention to tattoo the pony contravened animal protection laws, which specifically prohibit tattooing warm-blooded vertebrates.

In a statement the court said causing animals pain without reasonable cause was against the law and added that making the pony more beautiful was no justification. It said the tattoo in question did not function as an identification mark, but rather served the owner's individual economic interests -- a business registration filed by the owner gave the court reason to believe he wanted to make money with a tattoo service for animals.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; editing by Paul Casciato)