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Fashion law used to move at the speed of one big case a year. Now it runs on two clocks at once: the courtroom, where dupes and superfakes are being priced, and the rulebook, where what you can claim, destroy and ship is changing by the month.
So I put both on one calendar. The full version lives on the website and we will keep updating it as cases are decided. Here are the parts I would put in your diary.
The one most brands are already breaking
Since 27 September 2026, the EU bans generic green claims like "eco-friendly" or "green" unless you can prove recognised excellent environmental performance, and bans "carbon neutral" claims based on offsets. Look at your own product pages and hang tags today. Most of fashion still uses exactly these words.
Dates to know
19 July 2026: large companies can no longer destroy unsold clothes, accessories or footwear in the EU (medium-sized companies follow in July 2030).
2 August 2026: AI-generated images and video must be marked under the EU AI Act. That includes AI models in campaigns.
1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027: the end of duty-free small parcels, first in the EU (a flat €3 duty) and then for good in the US.
Around April 2027: every EU country must set up textile EPR, which means brands pay for what happens to their clothes after use.
14 December 2027: the EU Forced Labour Regulation applies. Products made with forced labour cannot be sold in or exported from the EU.
Cases to watch
Crocs v Five Below. Filed on 18 September over a US$7 charm clog. The real question is whether a clog shape can be protected trade dress. This is the dupe case of the season.
The superfake influencer case. A UK court ordered an influencer who sold fakes to pay about £213,000 to Fendi, Loewe, Dior, Celine and LVMH. The interesting part is the maths: the court assumed only 15 per cent of fake buyers would have bought the real thing.
The "Life of a Showgirl" trade mark fight. A Las Vegas performer says Taylor Swift's album title and merch infringe her "Confessions of a Showgirl" mark. Watch the ruling on the First Amendment defence, because it decides how much room artists have to sell merch under expressive titles.
Shein v Temu. The UK High Court said Temu was not liable for sellers' product images, and Temu won its claim over wrongful takedowns. Aggressive takedown campaigns now carry a price.
What I'd do with this
If you work at a brand, start with the green claims audit. It is the cheapest fix on this list and the easiest one for a regulator to spot.
If you are building a fashion law career, pick one row of this calendar and become the person who knows it properly. Green claims, EPR and forced labour are where the in-house hiring is going, not just IP.
Bookmark the full calendar. It has every case, every deadline and the sources, and it will keep changing: fashionlawjournal.com/fashion-legal-calendar-2026-2027
Come say hello
Hit reply and tell me which case or rule you are watching that I missed. I read every reply myself, and the good ones go straight onto the calendar.
If you'd rather talk outside the inbox, I'm @anujonrecord on Instagram and Anuj Kumar on LinkedIn.
And if this was useful
Follow Fashion Law Journal on Instagram and LinkedIn, and forward this to one person who works with a fashion brand. It is the fastest way this list grows.
Anuj
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Fashion Law Journal
anujkumar.co
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