The fashion industry has long been a user of IP. Brands are important to couturiers, designers, clothes, footwear, jewelry and accessories manufacturers, parfumiers and retailers and so, too, are trade marks, domain names and the law of passing off. Accessories and jewelry are often protected by UK or Community design registration and the prêt-a-porter market by design right and unregistered Community designs. Fabrics are protected by copyright.
We are consulted by everybody in the industry from young fashion and textile designers to multinationals. Our non-contentious work consists of drafting and reviewing agreements – particularly those between designers or retailers in Europe and manufacturers in Asia and franchises between distributors and local outlets – and advising on trade mark registration and representing parties before the Registrar.
Our contentious work consists mainly in obtaining or opposing interim injunctions to restrain infringements of registered designs, unregistered design right and unregistered Community designs and trade marks many of which are claimed to have been made or marketed with the IPR owner’s permission. More often than in most industries we are asked to seek or respond to search orders.
Whenever there is a significant development in fashion law, or whenever we discover a point of law that we would like to share with the industry and its other professional advisors, we will at least blog it. If we think it is sufficiently important we may even publish an article or special feature on the topic. Also, from time to time we hold conferences and seminars on the legal issues affecting fashion.
If you would like to receive updates on IP law relating to fashion and news of our conferences and seminars, please complete this form.
Case Histories
Jane Lambert “Launching a New Fashion Label”
Links
NIPC Law 