TEXTILE firms in East Lancashire are being warned of a epidemic in copying that threatens their future.

Illegal imitation of fabric designs is 'rampant' according to a survey carried out in the industry.

More than 40 per cent of firms which had carried out inquiries to find whether fabric designs had been copied had found they had.

A third of firms which had looked overseas for copies had also found illegael versions.

And the increasing use of computer aided design equipment will only make the problem worse, researchers claim.

"You already see designers going round trade fairs with their digital cameras," said Keith Dickson of the Economic & Social Research Council which carried out the research.

"When linked to a computer they can send the design around the world in a matter of minutes."

Even when they find copies, designers are often reluctant to take rivals to court because of the complexity of copyright law. The reseach found that most designers felt the didn't know enough about the law.

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