Chloe verus Topshop
This week Topshop had to destroy more than 1000 £35 dresses after a copyright battle with Chloe.
(Daily Mail 07.07)
Chloe dress £185, on the left and Topshop dress, £35, on the right.
Fashion plagiarism has always been a problem with many publicised cases, such as, Monsoon v Primark Liza Bruce v Marks and Spencer and indeed Ralph Lauren v Armani. The high street has become increasingly fast at identifying and translating designer trends from the catwalk. Although Designers are now hiring specialists to scour the high street for evidence of copied designs. Law cases have also been made easier as a Design Company can now highlight an aspect of a design, such as a buckle or unusual heel, to demonstrate a copy. Before this a Designer had to prove an identical copy, which was exceptionally difficult.
“Dids Macdonald, Chief Executive of industry watchdog Anti Copying in Design, warned retailers to expect heavy financial penalties for copying, “Copying is endemic within the industry.
“This year we have seen 220 settlements- 20 per cent of which have been on behalf of the fashion industry.
“People are becoming more savvy in terms of knowing their rights and High Street retailers need to be more careful about the way they imitate others.” (Daily Mail 07.07.)
