Copyright Protection for Fashion Design: Getting closer!

This 1st of December, 2010 the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would give copyright protection to clothing designs. The Council of Fashion Designers of America, had been pushing for this for an incredible long time. The Design Piracy Protection Act failed, facing opposition from the American Apparel and Footwear Association. But Charles Schumer (senator) recently introduce a new version, called the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act supported by the CFDA and the AAFA.

“I think people are a lot more in agreement than they think,” Kurt Courtney said. “This bill really draws the line between inspiration and copying. We all understand the importance of inspiration in design. Most inspiration comes from the public domain. The bill seeks to protect that original artwork, it’s not about the utilitarian and the useful. This is specifically targeted at the most artistic fashion you can think of.”

It’s impossible to know yet if the Senate will vote before December vacations, in this case the decision it’s going to have a hard effect on the pinchbeck/imitation industry in United States.

Finally, this could mean the beginning of the end of piracy.



www.cfda.com (Council of Fashion Designers of America)
www.apparelandfootwear.org (AAFA)

Photo-illustration: Jed Egan;
Capitol Hill Photo: Faungg's Flickr