An Introduction to Fashion Law (Online Seminar)

A pre-recorded streaming video replay from the May 2017 webcast, An Introduction to Fashion Law.

This introductory course not only will cover intellectual property law in the areas of trademarks, copyrights, and design patents, but also will provide participants an introduction to legal concepts that could crop up in practice areas such as business law, labor law, estate planning, criminal law, and even family law. It will highlight the multi-disciplinary nature of the fashion industry, which includes much more than intellectual property law concepts.

Hear a licensing expert explain business practices in the fashion industry. Review recent case law and regulations in the area including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in “The Cheerleader Uniform Case,” Varsity v. Star Athletica; “The Red Sole Case,” Christian Louboutin S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent Am. Holding, Inc.; and “The Fake Handbag Case,” United States v. Praepitcha Smatsorabudh, in which a Virginia woman was convicted for a unique handbag-related scheme. See the differences between genuine designer handbags and fake handbags.

FACULTY

Joan Bellefield Davis, Schroder Davis PLC / Richmond
Joan Bellefield Davis’ practice concentrates on intellectual property transactions in the areas of entertainment, arts, publishing, music, internet, fashion, and luxury goods law. She regularly advises clients with complex legal issues and business matters such as trademarks, domain name issues, business entity formation, standard releases, book publishing agreements, agency agreements, band collaboration agreements, and brand licensing. Involved in the fashion and modeling industries for over twenty years, Ms. Davis knows the industry from the inside. She holds a certificate from the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law, NYC. Ms. Davis developed the first fashion law CLE approved by the Virginia State Bar. Her experience as a licensed private investigator has proven valuable in assisting authorities in the removal of her client’s counterfeit goods from online websites such as EBay. Her experience in this area complements the firm’s entertainment clients looking to launch and maintain their own fashion labels. Ms. Davis regularly holds seminars with emerging designers, fashion models, and parents of burgeoning talent. She is an active member and supporter of the Model Alliance in New York City. Having a daughter who has been a model since she was two, Ms. Davis understands the concerns and frequently advises models and their parents on the issues involved in the fashion modeling industry. Ms. Davis was featured with her daughter as a guest on the Katie Couric show in 2014. The episode highlighted the difficulties that child fashion models encounter in the industry and the necessity of New York’s child model law and parental involvement in their children’s careers. Prior to private practice, Ms. Davis served as law clerk to Senior Justice Harry L. Carrico of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Jocelyn Strutt, Licensing and Corporate Branding Director / New York, NY
Jocelyn Strutt brings a unique perspective to this seminar. Having worked in the trenches as Licensing Director, Ms. Strutt has held positions in the fashion industry involving intellectual property licensing, brand protection, and fashion design for sixteen-plus years. She is the newly appointed Director of Licensing for the Psycho Bunny Brand. Ms. Strutt is the former Branding and Licensing Director for Robert Graham and The Ben Sherman Group. She was Licensing Manager for Kenneth Cole Productions and The Jones Apparel Group. Additionally, she has experience as an Account Executive and Merchandise Coordinator for Polo Ralph Lauren. Her design experience includes working as a Footwear Design Assistant for Coach and design support for Shelly Steffee Inc., where she focused on market week and runway shows. Ms. Strutt graduated from McDaniel University. She holds a graphic and digital design certificate from Parsons New School of Design and a certificate from Fordham’s Fashion Law Bootcamp. She currently is attending the Master of laws program at the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham School of Law in New York City.