Washington Seeks to Sink Fashion Pirates

Washington Seeks to Sink Fashion Pirates
We've all done it. Whether we made the purchase or not, we've all at least thought about putting our wallets above our conscience and investing in a good, quality, knockoff.

It seems harmless, but according to the United States Customs and Border Protection, American businesses lose between $200-$250 billion a year in valid sales due to the production of counterfeited merchandise.

Though most nations protect fashion designs under property protection laws, the United States currently does not award copyrights to apparel because the bestower of patents - who clearly missed McQueen's fall 2006 giant gauze-wrapped deer antler headdress - deems clothing "useful articles," not works of art.

While logos and names can be trademarked and protected - earlier this month Seven For All Mankind was awarded $4 million in damages from a trademark-counterfei ting suit - specific designs are unprotected.

Looking to amend the status quo is Congressman Bob Goodlatte from Virginia, who has recently approached the House Committee on the Judiciary with the Design Piracy Prohibition Act.

The proposal moves to amend the Copyright Act to provide legal protection for fashion designs for a period of three years.

This anti-piracy act has support from the Council of Fashion Designers of America among other industry big shots, but some