Trendy Dupes and Hypothetical Trade Dress Disputes

Rise of the Dupes

With trends coming and going so fast, most people cannot possibly keep up. However, that does not stop the desire to keep up with them. It is very costly for consumers to keep up with ever-changing products. So, consumers are now opting for “dupes.” For example, consumers frequently opt for #lululemondupes to get the same look as the Canadian brand of leggings and athleisure but for a much lower cost.

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What Could Cookies and Dresses Have in Common…? Trade Dress!

Picture this – you walk into a new bakery. The smells hit you from every direction. You see the different kinds of frosting oozing out of the glass case showing off all the new goodies. Where could you possibly be you might wonder… You’re at Crumbl Cookies! Crumbl is a new-ish national cookie franchise that sells its unique, freshly baked, rotating flavored cookies out of most big cities around the country. Emphasis on the *unique* part.

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Trade Dress: Can A Tampon Applicator Get Trademark Protection?

Before taking an intellectual property (IP) course this past fall, I assumed trademarks only applied to brand slogans. I did not realize that trademarks could apply to physical products, too.

Now that I have taken various IP courses and participated in the IP Moot Court team, I see trademark protection everywhere. This made me wonder: can a commonplace item, like an applicator for a tampon, receive trade dress protection?

Before jumping into that answer, let’s first explain what a trade dress is.

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