It's Baaaaaaack, Yet Again: Totally Pointless, Unnecessary & Damaging Fashion Copyright Bill Returns
from the oh-come-on dept
For nearly a decade, the fashion industry has been a wonderful example of how a creative industry thrives without copyright law. Multiple studies have demonstrated this. Not only have the studies found that the US fashion industry is a thriving industry, with lots of competition, plenty of players, and tons of innovation, some research has made it clear that it's the very lack of copyright that has made all of this possible. That's because the lack of copyright does a few incredibly useful things in the industry. First, it pushes designers to keep coming up with the "next big thing," since they can't just rest on their laurels. Second, it's actually helped create trends that have increased the value of key brands. That is, the fact that anyone can copy a hot new design from a top designer means that ideas permeate faster, and each year's big trend gets established by the overall market. It also helps to segment the market, as copycat providers cover the low end, which actually makes the high end "designer" products more valuable. Buyers of the copies aspire to eventually be able to get the brand names.It's difficult to think of an industry that needs copyright less than the fashion industry. After all, the purpose of copyright is to create incentives for greater innovation, such that the public benefits. And here we have a highly competitive, highly innovative market that addresses what the public wants through market segmentation.
And yet... as always happens with intellectual property, it's after such benefits accrue that the leaders in the market seek to put in place stricter intellectual property laws. They always claim it's to "protect" intellectual property, but the reality is that it's to restrict competition, slow down innovation and allow the top designers greater monopoly rents on their offerings, such that they don't have to compete as much, nor innovate as much. It's pure rent seeking.
So, of course, some politicians are pushing it. Senator Chuck Schumer has been the main backer of such a law, egged on by law professor Susan Scafidi, who seems to have made it her life's cause to get in place such a protectionist, anti-innovation, anti-competition, anti-new fashion designer law. She's not above falsely implying that this is an issue about counterfeiting. It's not. We're talking about perfectly legitimate copies. When people are pushed on this issue, the best they seem to be able to come up with is the idea that when designers have their work copied, it makes people sad.
Scafidi is happily talking up that Congress is going to once again try to pass this unnecessary, economically dangerous and innovation-hindering law. Every year it gets introduced it ends up dying on the vine, but in the last few years, it's definitely gotten much closer. Unfortunately, it seems like Congress only seems to want to hear from those who support the law, and pays little attention to the tons of evidence that it's not needed at all.
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Meh....
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Retroactive
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Re: Retroactive
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Re: Re: Retroactive
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Re:
"just like the best way to stop piracy is to shut down all the websites that offer 'legitimate' content. that way there is nothing to copy and therefore nothing to pirate."
I so hope this is some sort of attempt at sarcasm, because it just doesn't make sense. There was online piracy long before there was online stores offering the products.
As far as I know, very rarely is an pirate copy a copy of something sold online. More often it's a "rip" from physical medium, if for no other reason than the simple fact that you can get those sooner.
No, the way to "stop piracy" is to actually start to offer the content for sale in a good way online. If they don't want to sell me the product I want, then they can't complain about not getting my money. Simple as that.
(And for the record; I bend over backwards every now and then, trying to find an online store that wants to sell me the movies I want, but I have yet to find one that I can use.)
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Who benefit front these laws
They will start a fight for every piece of cloth that you thing you have copied right or wrong. There's enough stories on TechDirt to see that any other protected industries are suffering from these lawsuits.
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Re: Who benefit front these laws
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Srsly?
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Innovation = no copyright?
The food industry - Think about if you could invent a new hamburger and hold the rights to it.
The medical industry - You find a new way to extract plasma and copyright it
The entertainment industry - You find a new way to make music without thinking you control distribution. You make a living with fans buying you drinks, selling CDs and T-shirts at concerts, allowing fans to make videos and tribute songs. You don't have to give blood just to make money for a tour. You don't have to pay more than the cost of the meat involved for a burger, and you learn how to use economic abundance to make better songs and movies in the future.
I dunno, Mike. Was that a trick question?
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Re: Innovation = no copyright?
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090920/2259026254.shtml
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Re: Re: Innovation = no copyright?
It probably kills more than it helps thanks to Big Pharma...
I was just hoping that in these fields, there could be changes to remove those artificial scarcities.
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Re: Innovation = no copyright?
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When you purchase your clothes should you where a badge, attach a patch, wear a different belt or scarf or something with said clothing, you have then altered the original item as was copyrighted, and by walking outside in the public you are now broadcasting a new innovation based on a copyrighted design and therefore be arrested, and charged with a felony and spend the rest of your days with rapists, murderers etc. All because you didn't get permission or pay for a license to alter the original design. Then again you may not need to alter to get in trouble if you don't pay for the license or according royalties should you wear the clothes in public as its still broadcasting.
Oh wait we are talking about clothes? nevermind I thought we were on about the current digital copyright enforcement efforts. Garden of Eden here we come!!! are leaves copyrighted to.....?
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Re: Prison Population Update--does the tedium continue?
Of course, statistically some of those people in prison are probably also murderers and rapists (and arsonists!!) but given how many stupid things people get thrown in jail for nowadays, I wouldn't sweat it.
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Re: Re: Prison Population Update--does the tedium continue?
Anyway, it was well said.
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What is it with you and the "fashion industry"?
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Re: What is it with you and the "fashion industry"?
Very good then, carry on.
;-P
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Re: What is it with you and the "fashion industry"?
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Re: What is it with you and the "fashion industry"?
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Re: What is it with you and the "fashion industry"?
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Bill number HR 2511
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-2511
Popvox link to express angst to your reps:
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2511
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Re: Bill number HR 2511
a) it says that independent creation is not considered copying
b) It allows for what it calls a "home-sewing exception". This allows for people to make single non-commercial copies for their own family's use.
These ideas need to be part of the patent reform discussions.
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Re: Re: Bill number HR 2511
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Re: Re: Bill number HR 2511
... That's still illogical. What if you have two daughters that like the same dress, buy enough material, and do their own work?
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Re: Re: Re: Bill number HR 2511
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Re: Bill number HR 2511
http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_07152011.html
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Why Not Copyright Everything ?
And I should also copy right underwear and adult diapers.Why adult diapers ? those i can use to mail to the fools in washington who support copyright fashion.
Hhhhhhhmmmm..............
might as well copyright "Hot Dogs" and "Hamburgs".
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