‘Knock off a dress design and go to jail.’
Perhaps the phrase will scare counterfeiters and they will think twice before copying any designers’ design. You might be thinking how? So here, I am to tell you what happened on Wednesday:
Fashion designer Nicole Miller disgusted with her design copying for the last 25 years, marched out with others to the Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers, many of whom sit on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, which have jurisdiction over intellectual property laws - hoping for a bill that would change the law. Miller said,
Design piracy denigrates the integrity of the style. This year, we have been copied more than we have in past years. With this legislation, people will be deterred from making everything too literal. It’s the line-for-line copies that bother me.”
It is reported that Representatives Bob Goodlatte and Bill Delahunt have reintroduced last year’s bill and renamed it, as Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which will protect registered fashion designs for three years.
The new ACT will allow companies and designers to register their fashion designs of anything whether apparels or accessories and save them from copycats. The fine would be $250,000, or $5 for each copied piece.
Should I be sad that now I won’t get anything FAKE! For me copyright protection does not sound that good as maximum designs are products of inspirations and a question arises in my mind will it be welcomed by designers, retailers and punters?
Image: Nitrolicious.com
Source: WWD
