Legal News

The issue of copyright protection for fashion designers has been an important one this year, as designers such as Gwen Stefani (for her Harajuku Lovers label) have seen success in trademark infringement and other intellectual property-related lawsuits against fast-fashion chains such as Forever 21. Most recently, on August 2, the U.S. Senate saw the introduction of the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which protects original fashion designs for a period of three years from their registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.

According to a statement released by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the Act has two main objectives: “to protect both the established and up-and-coming designers whose development, growth and success helps to support the $350 billion U.S. fashion industry; and to preserve intellectual property.”