Le Dernier Cri: Copyright, Congress and fashion

The fashion world has always prided itself on being exceptionally creative. Designers work for months to produce collections that are beautiful and original. So what happens when someone makes a knockoff and sells it for a fraction of the price?\nThe Council of Fashion Designers of America has recently taken a bill to Congress to protect against this exact scenario. The bill, which has been floating around in Congress since 2006, will increase copyright protection in the fashion industry. \nThe bill is a hot issue between high-end designers, who claim their businesses have lost millions of dollars because of cheap knockoffs, and apparel companies, arguing that it is impossible to determine how original an idea is and who has ownership of said design.\nI can understand both sides of the argument. Designers and fashion insiders see fashion as an art that is on par with famous paintings and sculptures. The fact that apparel companies are stealing their designs and selling them for a fraction of the original price is unfair. At the same time, it is nearly impossible to claim ownership of a design; two very different people could be inspired by the same thing, producing two very similar pieces.\nThe law currently states that unless a knockoff is being marketed as being produced by the company it is imitating, it is not illegal. Congress has been reluctant to grant further protection to fashion designers because the clothes they make do not always live up to the need that society sees for its clothing. It is not reasonable to expect a $5,000 gown to serve the utilitarian function that society now expects.\nTo be perfectly honest, I have not decided where I stand on this issue. It is very easy for the high-fashion-loving part of me to say copyright protection to the max is essential. At the same time, the part of me that wants fashionable, cheaper clothing is screaming that knocking off designers’ brainchildren is a necessary part of the apparel industry. \nIn the end, however, I think it all comes down to money. Designers are worried that because others are selling their designs for a lot less, they will not get paid. Apparel manufacturers see that people want the high-end designs and are simply giving the people what they want. \nOn Styledash.com, a blogger writes that he would never be able to afford designer clothing and his buying habits will not change, not because he prefers cheap knockoffs, but because he does not have enough money to buy the originals. This argument, for me, cuts to the heart of the issue and sums it up perfectly. People are going to buy what they can with what they have, and are not going to care if it is 100 percent original.