Designers head to Washington to lobby against copies
Designer Nicole Miller pictured left, accompanied fellow designers went to Washington yesterday to lobby for change in copyright laws in fashion. The Council of Fashion Designers of America, spearheaded by Diane Von Furstenburg is backing the move: "It has gotten to a point at which, unless we get regulation, people will continue to boast about copying". Last month Diane took Forever 21 to court over a copy of her "Cerisier" shift dress, the outcome of the case is yet to be decided. This is just the latest in a string of court cases from designers such as Jimmy Choo which resulted in New Look recalling 1000 shoes.
House lawmakers reintroduced the Design Piracy Prohibition Act that would amend current copyright law to allow companies and designers to register fashion designs for three years of copyright protection; apparel, handbags, footwear, belts and eyeglass frames would be covered. The measure would also establishes penalties of $250,000 or $5 for each copied item for designers or companies knocking off designs. Miller said: "I get a lot of longevity out of my dresses and I don't see why, if I'm still manufacturing it, somebody has the right to copy it."
This is quite a thorny issue, as fashion thrives on cross-pollination of ideas, and the designers themselves have to get their influences from somewhere. I wonder if this legislation will force high street retailers to invest more in their underpaid designers; it will certainly keep the designer collaborations going as the high street tries to get a piece of high end chic. See if you can guess which high street retailer made an almost exact knockoff of the Pringle top, left. [WWD]
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