Rep. Nadler Welcomes Hearing on Design Law

Urges Adoption of H.R. 2033, the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, to Protect Designers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties today applauded the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property for holding a hearing on design law.  Rep. Nadler is a co-sponsor of H.R. 2033, the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which would extend copyright protection to fashion designs.

Rep. Nadler’s statement follows:

“The fashion industry remains an area where America is active in both innovation and creativity.  However, there are too few protections for designers.  Under current law, fashion design piracy is completely legal so long as a false label is not attached to the product, even if the counterfeit is an exact replica of the original.  A lack of protections only serves to undermine the hard work of those in the fashion design industry.

“In New York City, this issue is especially important.  Fashion is one of the largest industries in New York City.  Fashion companies in New York generate over $47 billion in sales yearly.  And every knock-off of an original fashion design harms not only the designer, but also costs the city over $1 billion in lost taxes annually.  Many of the companies involved are small businesses – enterprises that we should be supporting.

“I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 2033, the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which would add protections for fashion designers.  I applaud the Subcommittee for examining this vital issue.  If we can demand piracy protections for American movies, music and books, then we can and must do the same for our other industries.”