21 February 2019

Briefs Will Always Be In Fashion

In an article published by The Times, Gary Johnston has his say regarding the issue around IP rights in the fashion industry.

With London Fashion Week 2019 coming to a close this week, subjects around sustainability and ethical rights within the industry is inevitable. “Transparency is the new pre-eminent principle”, yet we know this is still the case. Gary Johnston speaks about smaller businesses having limited financial resources, hence it being an obstacle when trying to stop infringement.

“There’s a smorgasbord of IP rights out there by which to ring-fence the fruits of your creative labours,” he says. “However, enforcement can be costly — for example, to secure an injunction to stop a design or copyright infringement could cost upwards of £50,000 and, as such, one must choose one’s battles carefully.” He adds that “the starting point is knowing and understanding what is capable of protection and how to achieve that”.

It is likely that this subject is going to be around for a while. However, it is to be hoped that the fashion industry implements harsher regulations to ensure that human rights are protected and aspiring individuals are not toiled with, especially in such a deceptive industry.

To read The Times article in full click here. 

If you have any questions about this article or any other trade mark related query, please contact Gary Johnston.