Will Copyright Change the Fashion Industry?

Hand made bags. Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Early last week, law professors, designers, and fashion advocates testified in front of members of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet in favor of and opposition to the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (IDPPPA), a bill that aims to provide copyright protection to fashion designers. According to the Washington Post,

If passed, the IDPPPA, now in its second iteration, will give three years of copyright protections to innovative designs not in the public domain, preventing fast-fashion retailers from making exact copies of “unique” fashion designs.

Keep in mind that the bill targets copyright protection, not trademarks, which already grant designers some protection based on logos, colors, and names.