I am delighted to share the publication of Fashion and Intellectual Property, which I co-edited with Jeanne Fromer (New York University) and Dev S Gangjee (Oxford). The volume brings together leading scholars to examine how intellectual property law interacts with fashion as both industry and culture. We had a book launch in Hong Kong in September 2025, and will be planning one for Singapore in 2026.
Fashion is driven by novelty, image, and creative expression. It is also shaped by rules that determine what can be protected, what can be shared, and what remains free for others to build on. This book explores that relationship across key intellectual property (IP) regimes and across major jurisdictions, from the United States and the United Kingdom to Europe, Australia, and Asia.
The book assembles some of the best-known IP scholars around the world to present their analysis of how different aspects of intellectual property laws interact with and regulate the fashion industry.
It covers key features of IP rights regimes include copyright, trademarks, patents and geographical indications, and features contributions from the editors and other scholars such as Barton Beebe, Christopher Sprigman, Robert Burrell, Emily Hudson and Martin Senftleben.
A reviewer on The IPKat said this: “Taken as a whole, the volume offers an experience that is as visual and immersive as it is analytical. The extensive use of images, examples and concrete design references gives the book the feel of a curated museum visit, where each item comes with an expert audio guide explaining its legal, cultural and creative significance, while shedding light on aspects of the creative process that are often overlooked when the story of an iconic design is told. If anything, the richness of detail and visual material makes it difficult for this Kat to close the book without feeling tempted to step outside and do a bit (or perhaps a lot) of shopping.”
Check out the book now! The book is published by Cambridge University Press and is available as open access.