npr: “A lawsuit over $98 yoga pants feels sort of ridiculous its face. But the case is actually a big deal.” Lululemon Athletica Inc. has filed a complaint against Calvin Klein for infringing on three design patents… for a pair of yoga pants. Planet Money’s Jacob Goldstein says the case could challenge the fashion industry’s historically “loose” approach to IP protection. Read the story here. I’m gonna side with Lululemon on this one. Not only because i love their product, but because CK actually did infringe on a legally granted patent. Fuck that. They’re too lazy to come up with their own design for yoga pants (and how hard is it to design yoga pants guys, not that hard) so they copy the Lulu’s that are super popular and sell them for cheaper. Not only is that rude, in my book it’s unethical. The cross-pollination of ideas in the industry is justifiable to a degree. Zara wants to do floral prints that copy what’s trending on the Givenchy runway? Fine. But to copy an exact, patented product…. inarguably wrong.

npr:

“A lawsuit over $98 yoga pants feels sort of ridiculous its face. But the case is actually a big deal.”

Lululemon Athletica Inc. has filed a complaint against Calvin Klein for infringing on three design patents… for a pair of yoga pants. Planet Money’s Jacob Goldstein says the case could challenge the fashion industry’s historically “loose” approach to IP protection.

Read the story here.

I’m gonna side with Lululemon on this one. Not only because i love their product, but because CK actually did infringe on a legally granted patent. Fuck that. They’re too lazy to come up with their own design for yoga pants (and how hard is it to design yoga pants guys, not that hard) so they copy the Lulu’s that are super popular and sell them for cheaper. Not only is that rude, in my book it’s unethical.

The cross-pollination of ideas in the industry is justifiable to a degree. Zara wants to do floral prints that copy what’s trending on the Givenchy runway? Fine. But to copy an exact, patented product…. inarguably wrong.