The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

A Primer On Designer Knock-Offs and The Law

One of The Budget Babe's favorite pastimes is hunting for what everyone calls "designer looks for less"—but more and more these days, we're finding exact copies of designer looks...and it certainly makes you wonder: How do these copycats get away with this? Aren't there laws against this kind of stuff?




Copies of this $369 dress by Tibi (at left) turned up at retailers Forever 21, Mandee and Strawberry for as little as $10.99.


Well, we did a little research and found our answers at Counterfeitchic.com. The blog's author, Susan Scafidi, is a law school professor and well-versed in the arena of fashion & fakes. Here are her easily digestible answers to some of our most burning questions regarding designer looks-alikes and the law...Read on!!

1. Doesn’t intellectual property law protect fashion?
2. Counterfeits, knock-offs, replicas, copies, high street versions – what’s the difference?
3. If counterfeit handbags, sunglasses, DVDs, etc. are illegal, why are they so easy to find online and on the street?