It seems that Indian designers, knocking on global doors, are missing out on one most essential step to create brand equity – saving their brands from copycats, says Angshuman Paul
Protecting the legacy of the ritzy brand Gianni Versace S.p.A through patents and copyrights was perhaps the most important strategy adopted by Donatella after Gianni Versace died dramatically on July 15, 1997. Brand Versace got its time-honoured ‘Medusa Head’ logo protected in 1998. And now the brand’s logo is safe till 2013. Intellectually creative personae like Gianni might not have realised the importance of copyrights in protecting creativity, but rival Roberto Cavalli certainly did. With a real dislike for being copied by other designers, Cavalli patented his mixed jungle pattern under the ‘Just Cavalli’ line in the early 1990s. Since then, the world of fashion has come a long way and intellectual property rights (IPR) have become more than an option.
An artist getting inspired by another’s work is no surprise in the case of creative industries. But when this alleged inspiration borders on plagiarism, while Italian designer brands like Versace, Cavalli, and Prada have resorted to both legal and police action to protect their IPRs, in the Indian scenario, leave accusations flying left and right, extremely less has been actually done legally and objectively by Indian fashion designers.
On the macro front, there obviously is an immediate need to educate the Indian fashion industry about IPR protection. The Indian fashion prêt industry is set to grow much faster than expected previously and is likely to touch Rs 7.5 billion by 2012 (Fashion Design Council of India stats). With consumers increasingly shifting their focus towards designer wear, with a number of ‘fashion weeks’ burgeoning like never before, and with the western media taking a note of the Indian developments, the designer wear industry now contributes to almost half of the total revenue generated by India from textile exports. And as it happens, with fame and rising competition among designers to create more and quickly, the creative minds of many end up following the ‘inspiration and improvement’ way of creativity. A few shots into the night, and the ‘creative’ mind often forgets whose chicken (read design) came first – the one of the accused or of the accuser. The industry generates business worth Rs two billion through fashion shows, but now it has become a rule for almost every fashion show documenting the drama of one designer alleging that some or the other design has been stolen.
Protecting the legacy of the ritzy brand Gianni Versace S.p.A through patents and copyrights was perhaps the most important strategy adopted by Donatella after Gianni Versace died dramatically on July 15, 1997. Brand Versace got its time-honoured ‘Medusa Head’ logo protected in 1998. And now the brand’s logo is safe till 2013. Intellectually creative personae like Gianni might not have realised the importance of copyrights in protecting creativity, but rival Roberto Cavalli certainly did. With a real dislike for being copied by other designers, Cavalli patented his mixed jungle pattern under the ‘Just Cavalli’ line in the early 1990s. Since then, the world of fashion has come a long way and intellectual property rights (IPR) have become more than an option.
An artist getting inspired by another’s work is no surprise in the case of creative industries. But when this alleged inspiration borders on plagiarism, while Italian designer brands like Versace, Cavalli, and Prada have resorted to both legal and police action to protect their IPRs, in the Indian scenario, leave accusations flying left and right, extremely less has been actually done legally and objectively by Indian fashion designers.
On the macro front, there obviously is an immediate need to educate the Indian fashion industry about IPR protection. The Indian fashion prêt industry is set to grow much faster than expected previously and is likely to touch Rs 7.5 billion by 2012 (Fashion Design Council of India stats). With consumers increasingly shifting their focus towards designer wear, with a number of ‘fashion weeks’ burgeoning like never before, and with the western media taking a note of the Indian developments, the designer wear industry now contributes to almost half of the total revenue generated by India from textile exports. And as it happens, with fame and rising competition among designers to create more and quickly, the creative minds of many end up following the ‘inspiration and improvement’ way of creativity. A few shots into the night, and the ‘creative’ mind often forgets whose chicken (read design) came first – the one of the accused or of the accuser. The industry generates business worth Rs two billion through fashion shows, but now it has become a rule for almost every fashion show documenting the drama of one designer alleging that some or the other design has been stolen.
Read these article :-
Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!
No comments:
Post a Comment