US Senator Proposes Legislation To Protect Footwear Designer

After a year of detailed negotiations with the stakeholders of the fashion industry, the US Senator Charles Schume (D - NY) proposed the innovative design protection and piracy prevention act (S.3728) Bill. This is a practical way to provide intellectual property protection for the original unique fashion design.

This bill is supported by the AAFA and CFDA Council. This legislation will allow creative American designers to benefit from legal protection for the first time and continue to ensure the competitiveness of the clothing and footwear industry in the United States while providing consumers with fashionable and affordable clothing.

Kevin M. Burke, President and chief executive of the association, said: "I am very glad that after a year of negotiations, we have been able to reach agreement on piracy in fashion design." (Burke)

AAFA wishes to thank Senator Schumer for his hard work so that all stakeholders can sit at the negotiating table and arrive at a practical solution.

As we move forward, AAFA will continue to seek the strongest trademark and property rights protection for the American Apparel and footwear industry in the global market competition and protect their brand reputation, employees and consumers' interests. "

"When the CFDA Council first launched the fashion design intellectual property protection campaign, our goal is to enable more and more new generation of American designers to recognize and support their business development and make them become household names," said CFDA executive director Stephen Kolb (Steven Kolb).

"We have been working closely with AAFA and the industry under the leadership of Senator Schumer, who has formulated this law, which will provide our industry with the expected and long-awaited protection.

The United States is the leader of fashion in the world, but the United States is basically just not protecting the industrialized countries for fashion design.

It is good news to put forward this bill, which can promote creativity and strengthen the fashion industry to make a significant contribution to a healthy and functioning economy. "

The competitiveness of the American fashion industry in the global market depends on whether it can bring quality products to the market while giving full play to creativity and innovation.

Until today, fashion design has always been a limited choice of intellectual property protection, even the most unique design.

The new bill will provide a 3 year short protection period for new and original fashion designs, while creating public domain laws for every previously created design.

This law only prohibits the imitation which is basically the same as the protected design.

Consumers and retailers will not be responsible for purchasing or selling illegal copies.

In addition, family sewing is an exception, allowing them to sew the protected design imitated products used by individuals or family members.

In addition to the scope of protection that is specific, specific and narrowly adapted, the innovative design protection and piracy prevention act also includes procedural provisions for reducing trivial litigation.

In particular, the plaintiff must give specific facts when filing a case.

If there is a dispute, the defendant will have the right to show that the creation of the problem design is independent of the product of the protected design, or that the problem design is a product copied from a design in the public domain.

Senator Schumer, AAFA and CFDA are confident that this legislation will provide support for the American fashion industry by encouraging creativity, protecting innovation and improving the status of designers.