S.1957 - Design Piracy Prohibition Act Sponsor: Charles Schumer / 110th Congress

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Title
110th Congress - A bill to amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design.
Summary
A bill to amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design. (by MAPLight.org)
Status
The bill has been introduced.

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S 1957 by Kaileigh McCrea, Mar 10, 2008 (12:28pm)

This bill has been very controversial, not just within the fashion
industry, but among consumers as well. Supporters of the bill include several well known fashion designers who resent having their runway designs copied, sometimes only slightly changed, and within hours being marketed in stores for a much lower price and quality. Sometimes designs are leaked prematurely and clothing appears in the store before it even appears on the runway. Designers claim that this is piracy, and they should have protection from a practice that is hurting their businesses. Some of these designers have already filed suits against the stores that they claim have copied specific designs. The opposition includes
manufacturers, retailers, and designers who feel that immitation helps the fashion industry. For one thing, they argue, there is a fine line between getting inspiration from or paying homage to a designer, and outright copying their work. In fact it is sometimes very difficult to tell the difference, and some argue that every designer would be guilty of it at some point. In fact a few very well known designers have been sued by other designers for just such a practice, and critics have cited pieces where the designers advocating the bill are arguably guilty as well. It is also argued that the stores who sell these lower priced clothes, are doing the industry a favor by making these designs affordable and more wearable for the public, since most American consumers would not be able to afford the full priced designer option in the first place.

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