New Fashion Bill Puts Wrinkle in Copyright Debate
Fashion designs may soon be protected by copyright law. That is, if Congress approves the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, a new bill in the Senate that would extend copyright law to protect registered designs of dresses and other garments. A similar bill was introduced in the House last spring.
The proposed legislation was created to give fashion designers a way to fight back against those who profit from producing knockoffs of the designers’ original creations. If passed, the bill would extend three years of protection to fashion designs under the Copyright Act and would allow rightsholders to sue for up to $250,000 in damages.
