IP Topics
The United States House of Representatives has reignited the debate regarding the extension of copyright protection to fashion design, through the introduction of the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prohibition Act (IDPPPA). Policymakers are being urged to pass legislation by sectors of the fashion industry seeking additional tools to enforce intellectual property rights against copyists and counterfeiters. The reintroduction of this bill has put a controversial debate in copyright law back into the spotlight. Supporters of the IDPPPA posit that its proposed expansion of the scope of copyright protection will foster innovation and creativity in the fashion industry without limiting consumer access to fashion. The bill’s critics believe, much to the contrary, that it will hinder innovation, restrict access to fashion design to only those consumers with the greatest resources, and ultimately increase the costs and risks shouldered by legitimate manufacturers and retailers who are in the business of making and selling on-trend fashions.
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