Fashion Design Piracy

One of the biggest driving forces in the fashion industry nowadays is the continuous introduction of new trends and the opportunity for designers to display their creativity. So, when that individuality is stolen or copied from a designer, it can produce uneasy consequences. Known as “design piracy”, this widespread reproduction of designs has actually been around for decades. Not much has been done at a federal level to prevent the moral and economic repercussions that stem from it. However, despite the fact that designers lose both independent recognition and profit for their work, in the long run, fashion piracy actually helps grow the industry by swiftly moving styles through society to make way for the next line of innovative designs.

Because there is a lack of legal property protection in the U.S. fashion industry, design piracy has become a prominent trend. Designers really only have trademark protection, meaning that virtually anyone can reproduce their design and sell it as their own, so long as they leave out the actual brand label. In other words, designs are only protected if the features of the garments are uniquely enough to be considered “one-of-a-kind”, or if the design has a pattern or graphic image (Blakley).

In our society today, those involved in the fashion industry must constantly work to put out the newest styles and stay ahead of everyone else. However, although creating these innovative designs is very costly and time-consuming, the combination of advanced garment production and cheap labor makes duplicating these designs to be much quicker, cheaper, and easier. With current technology, photos and videos of revealed concepts can be instantly seen by people from all over the world. Those who fancy it...

... middle of paper ...

... future growth.

Works Cited

Diliberto, Gioia. "Fashion's Piracy Paradox." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2007. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Johanna Blakley: Lessons from Fashion's Free Culture. TEDxUSC, May 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Sprigman, Christopher. "The Fashion Industry's Piracy Paradox | Public Knowledge." The Fashion Industry's Piracy Paradox | Public Knowledge. N.p., 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"Stop Fashion Design Piracy." Stop Fashion Design Piracy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Surowiecki, James. "The Piracy Paradox." The New Yorker. N.p., 24 Sept. 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Weisburd, Steven I. "The Design Piracy Prohibition Act." New York Law Journal. N.p., 20 Jan. 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Wilson, Eric. "Before Models Can Turn Around, Knockoffs Fly." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Sept. 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.