Ann sent me this link to Counterfeit Chic that announces a new “Fashion Law’ program at Fordham’s law school. Counterfeit Chic author Susan Scafidi has been working this for quite some time. From the perspective of Fordham this might be a good idea but to the mostly cynical side of me it’s ridiculous from a student perspective. The good part is that Fordham has a solid reputation as a top tier law school (ranked 30th) and it also makes sense to have a program like this in NYC. Fordham is in the Bronx so it’s close to the garment district. Anyone who enrolls in the program would likely work for law firms in NY or LA; the conventional wisdom being to enroll in law school in the same place you want to practice. Fordham also has an evening program and it’s likely that many prospective students may already be working in the fashion industry.
The ridiculous side is: how many lawyers with this specialty does the world really need? The current legal landscape for fashion law is fundamentally in contract, copyright and trademark (and mostly case law), and unless Susan and Diane Von Furstenberg, who has been pursing this for years, manage to get their dream of patent protection applied to fashion I don’t see a huge need for attorneys with this particular skill set.
I see this initiative benefiting Fordham’s law school enrollment more than the job prospects of their law school graduates. I think the school is pandering to student ego without there being a real world career track in this specialty. Kind of like all those kids I knew who majored in the “music industry” and thought they’d get hired by record companies. Yeah good luck with that.
Just another example of how out-of-touch higher education has become.
Interesting, but you’d think one or two weeks in an existing course would cover it. We’re still talkin’ copywrite/trademark law anyway, right?
Yes exactly, and those areas of IP are childs play compared to the complexity of patent law. To make a crude analogy, copyright and trademark are like automobiles and patent is like jet aircraft. Also, retailers rule the world it the fasion industry and it’s in their economic interest to not only have the designer orignal but also the two or three lower priced knock-offs in the same store. I think they would fight patent protection in the fashion industry tooth and nail.
DVF may be pursing her lips over pursuing copyright protection for her designs!
Not willing to let Ann’s “pursing” go unchallenged…..do you mean she’s hoping to *bag* herself a savvy lawyer who can *wrap* up a huge settlement for her? (One wonders how many times DVF has borrowed inspiration from others.) I guess there’s a glut of personal injury attorneys out there; time to find greener pastures, right, Fordham?
No need to post this — it’s more of an FYI. Fordham Law is actually in Manhattan, very close to Lincoln Center, the new home of Fashion Week (and much closer to Garment District than if it were in the Bronx). And I agree with your comments.
I had a talk with my sarcastic side when I read that, but I kept my lips sealed. It is, however, not a new tactic for law schools wishing to draw in students. And the school also gets to draw in exciting “guest lecturers”…fun for all!!!
And next you’ll see the Food Law Program (most likely located in New York, near the Culinary Institute of America), designed to protect the rights to individuals who develop recipes . . . heh heh heh, that’s MY sarcastic side! They’ll be running commercials on the Food Network . . .
Allyn you are not far from the truth! Right now recipes don’t have copyright protection only cookbooks do and there are plenty of chefs who don’t like that.