Copyright Decision and Item Dating

Before 1954, Jewelry, handbags and other fashion items were protected by US Patent. The process of documenting and filing the paperwork for every item was cumbersome and expensive. The simpler copyright process was reserved for art, books and films.

Leo Krussman of Trifari in New York was the first to file for copyright protection for costume jewelry design. After a favorable Supreme Court ruling, it became common practice for makers of fashion items to protect their designs with copyright, not patent. So, as a rule of thumb, items marked "Pat. Pend.", "Pat. Applied for", or "US PATENTED" can safely be dated pre-1954.

Categories: 1954, DesignProtection-PatentVsCopyright