What Do Furniture Knockoffs and Lice Have in Common?

The New York Times says:

Knockoffs are to many furniture manufacturers what lice are to the parents of elementary schoolchildren: a perennial problem, and one that is devilishly hard to eradicate. Legal protections exist in the form of trade dress and trademark rights, the design equivalent of copyright protection.

In a recent article by Julie Lasky in the NYT's Home & Garden Section, the Times looks a few recent examples of knockoffs and how the parties involved are handling them, such as the matter of the Emeco Navy Chair and the RH (the company formerly known as Restoration Hardware) replication thereof.  The article does a good job of describing the current landscape of furniture design "knockoffs" and ways to protect furniture designs, including trade dress and trademarks.  However, one overlooked tool for furniture companies is design patents.

The full article can be found by clicking here.