And all this copying is completely legal, because copyright law doesn't cover apparel design.

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Improved technology allows much thinner fibers to be produced and processed into yarns with a silky feel and the right amount of luster not too shiny, says Margaret Frey, a Cornell University professor of fiber science and apparel design.

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Instead, trademark law protects brand names, logos, symbols, designs and other optional elements of apparel and accessories, and trade dress law protects the design, packaging or appearance of apparel and accessories, solely to the extent they identify the source and origin of such products.

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Shang Xia sells furniture, homeware, apparel and jewelry based on Asian design.

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Graduate of Suzhou University studied interior design before zeroing in on career in apparel.

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Endorsements will be the first to go, then the apparel business and possibly the cachet of golf-course design.

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Typically, retail buyers take thousands of photos at industry trade shows, for example, to use as reference points for design and color trends that inform their private-label merchandise for everything from housewares to apparel.

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