H.R. 5055: To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design.

109th Congress · introduced 2006-03-30 · Commerce · Latest: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2006-03-30 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design.

Plain summary

Extends copyright protection to fashion designs. Excludes from such protection fashion designs that are embodied in a useful article that was made public by the designer or owner more than three months before the registration of copyright application. Gives fashion designs copyright protection for three years. Declares that is not infringement to make, have made, import, sell, or distribute any article embodying a design which was created without knowledge or reasonable grounds to know that protection for the design is claimed and was copied from such protected design. Extends the definition of infringing article to include any article the design of which has been copied from an image of a protected design without the consent of the owner. Applies the doctrines of secondary infringement and secondary liability to actions related to original designs. Makes any person who is liable under either such doctrine subject to all the remedies, including those attributable to any underlying or resulting infringement. Requires the Register of Copyrights to determine whether or not the application relates to a design which on its face appears to be within the subject matter protected as original designs and, if so, register the design. Increases allowable damage awards for infringement of original designs.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109hr5055.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/hr>

Record fed-us-cong109-hr5055 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109