Much like car accidents require laws that are tried, tested, adapted, and adopted by the courts, the world of fashion has become an everyday part of modern life that is rife with legal issues, requiring its own set of laws.
Far from being a single law concerned with stylistic copyright infringement, fashion law covers all manner of counsel from the perspectives of the design industry itself, to the retail industry, the manufacturing industry – any business involved in the import, export, and distribution of fashion goods or services, and the rights of the consumer are all considered.
The world of law is vast – see personal injury lawyers in Texas if you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault – from mergers and acquisitions to issues facing self-employed workers, fashion law in particular covers a lot of ground.
SEE MORE: How to write a great fashion article?
Intellectual property
One of the mainstays of fashion law is intellectual property rights. This area of the law is not restricted to fashion, but has become a staple part of many legal cases involving issues with fashion. Let’s take a look at an example that’s not directly related to fashion, but should shine some light on the usefulness of this type of law. Employees at a bar in England recently came
up with a type of entertainment that saw the crowds playing games with the on-stage host, winning prizes throughout the night.
The weekly show was held at the bar, and ticket prices started to increase as demand for the very limited seats went through the roof. The employees who came up with the game and served as the game’s hosts soon found that their employer wanted to expand the idea, taking all of the profits from franchising the game show. This is where intellectual property law stepped in, and the employees were awarded the rights to the show. Now, with fashion revolving around designs, it’s easy to see how intellectual property and ownership of ideas can become a sticky topic between designers and employees.
Working conditions
Another main issue associated with fashion is working conditions. For example, if you are an employee involved in the manufacture, testing, storage, or transport of fashion items, you may be unduly exposed to pathogens or allergens. This failure on behalf of an employer to ensure
the safety of workers is a cause for legal concern, as such negligence could lead to medical implications, time away from work, lost earnings, and emotional distress. Fashion law bleeds into all areas of employment involving the fashion industry.
