The New York Times reports that "five years into a campaign by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to enact some sort of protection for original designs, the proponents of such legislation say they have their best chance yet at seeing a bill become law." Matthew Yglesias says it's still a terrible idea:
"The article is full of examples of alleged copying which provide the motive for people to want to make said copying illegal. But the question, again, isn’t whether a lack of prohibitions on copying will allow for copying. The question is what’s the problem? If the problem is that there’s no innovation in fashion design, then perhaps time-limited monopoly grants to fashion designers is the answer. But is that a problem? Have high-end fashion houses stopped doing new lines? Do people just not bother to buy new clothes anymore? I’ve never heard anything like that ...."
Previous thoughts on this subject here.
