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H.R. 2511: Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act

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H.R. 2511: Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act

112th Congress · introduced 2011-07-13 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-07-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act

Plain summary

Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act - Extends copyright protection to fashion designs. Revises the definition of "useful article" to include an article of apparel (clothing, handbags, purses, wallets, tote bags, belts, and eyeglass frames). Excludes from protection designs embodied in a useful article made public by the designer or owner: (1) more than two years before the date of the application for registration in the case of a vessel hull design, and (2) more than three years before the date upon which protection of the design is asserted in the case of a fashion design. Prohibits considering the presence or absence of a particular color or of a pictorial or graphic work imprinted on fabric when determining the protection of a fashion design. Sets the term of protection at 3 years for a fashion design and 10 years for a design of a vessel hull. Revises provisions concerning acting without knowledge to state that it is not infringement to make, have made, import, sell, offer for sale, advertise, or distribute any article embodying a design which was created without knowledge, either actual or reasonably inferred from the totality of the circumstances, that a design was protected and was copied from such protected design. Prohibits deeming a vessel hull design to have been copied from a protected design if it is original and not substantially similar in appearance to a protected design. Prohibits deeming a fashion design to have been copied from a protected design if it: (1) is not substantially identical in overall visual appearance to and as to the original elements of a protected design, or (2) is the result of independent creation. Rewrites the remedy for infringement to state, in general, that: (1) in the case of a vessel hull, the owner of a design is entitled, after issuance of a certificate of registration of the design, to institute an action for any infringement of the design; and (2) in the case of a fashion design, the owner of a design is entitled to institute an action for any infringement of the design after the design is made public. Increases the penalty for false representation. Excludes protected fashion designs from: (1) importation enforcement regulations issued by the Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Postal Service, and (2) seizure and forfeiture provisions. Limits the applicability of such regulations and provisions to specified vessel hulls.

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

Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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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] · 13 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY)

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.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-hr2511 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112