FMRK 366 Fashion Law
Fashion law is a broad descriptor for an emerging legal specialization encompassing primarily the apparel industry's life cycle, from conception to product and brand development, through to the launch. This course will further explore the scope of state, federal, and international laws and how they affect the ever-changing landscape of the fashion industry. The insight gained in this course will include how fashion executives can protect their intellectual property -- the brands and products by which they gain customer recognition. Throughout the course we will provide guidance and a better understanding of those issues vital to all fashion professionals, including: intellectual property protections, copyright, patent, trademark, and trade dress protection; agreements for licensing, selling, and marketing fashion goods, both domestically and abroad; laws affecting treatment of employees, including civil rights and contract considerations; leasing of retail property; and international trade. This course is designed to provide students a strong foundation of their legal rights and the available legal protections as they move forward into the world of fashion and lifestyle products. This course will provide both a substantive and practical framework for aspiring fashion entrepreneurs, marketers, social media directors, and branding professionals, to attain that "working knowledge" of the unique fashion industry legal backdrop. Lecture. Prerequisites: WRIT 113, First-Year Academic Writing; FMRK 100, Fashion Fundamentals.