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Fashion meets Law – Who owns the look?

When does inspiration become unauthorised imitation? And how far does legal protection for fashion and design extend? In the webinar ‘Fashion meets Law – Who owns the look?’, Fabian Reinholz and Claudia-Maria Wallaschofski from HÄRTING, together with Ulrike Wollenschläger from TextilWirtschaft, will examine current issues in trade mark, copyright and design law – using fascinating case studies from the fashion industry.

  • Date

    18. November 2026

  • Location

    Härting Office

You can find more information about the date and the programme on the event's website

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Who owns a look?

Whether it’s iconic stripes, distinctive shoe designs or so-called ‘dupes’: the fashion industry thrives on creativity, trends and recognisability. At the same time, legal questions repeatedly arise concerning the protection of designs, trademarks and creative works.

Where does inspiration end and unauthorised imitation begin? What options do trade mark, copyright and design laws offer to protect fashion and product design?

Fabian Reinholz and Claudia-Maria Wallaschofski from HÄRTING, together with Ulrike Wollenschläger from TextilWirtschaft, will address these questions in the webinar ‘Fashion meets Law – Who owns the look?’ on 18 November 2026.

Using current and practice-relevant cases from Germany, Europe and the USA, they will examine the legal boundaries between inspiration, imitation and the protection of creative works.

Key topics will include:

  • Trademark, copyright and design law: What protection is available for fashion and product design?
  • Inspiration or imitation? Where do the legal boundaries lie?
  • Current cases: What lessons can be learnt from the disputes surrounding Birkenstock, Adidas v Thom Browne, GeoCube, Cofemel v G-Star Raw and MetaBirkins?
  • Dupes: What legal issues does the imitation of well-known designs raise?

The webinar is part of the ‘Fashion meets Law – Legal Essentials in the Fashion World’ series organised by Recht & Wirtschaft Fachkonferenzen and is aimed at companies, designers and other stakeholders in the fashion industry.

Date: 18 November 2026, 12:00–13:30

Venue: Online via Zoom

Participation: Subject to a fee; registration via the organiser

➔ Further information and registration