Bill To Protect Fashion Creations Now in U.S. Senate

Pretty soon, a bill pushing for the protection of fashion creations from being ripped off could become a law.

The bill, called the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on August 2. The bill aims to allow designers to file lawsuits against anyone who produces cheap imitations of their designs, and appeal for the destruction of such fashion rip-offs as well.

Sen. Charles Schumer, one of the bill’s sponsors, said: "Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's bad for our fashion industry here in New York. It's every bit as much intellectual property as writing a good book or making a good movie. And yet the law says, come rip it off."

The senator was apparently referring to current law which bans fashion piracy only if the counterfeit product has a designer's label attached to it. He added that this bill is designed to make a distinction between knockoffs and garments that are merely similar.

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