No you can't protect them. Look at high end designers McQueen, Gucci, Armani, Pucci, Burberry, Prada etc and look at how many of their designs are 'copied' by high street brands - Next, Topshop/Man, River Island, New Look etc.... These guys do this every time there is a show on and nothing happens. You could protect a logo or similar e.g Martin protecting his waves, Burberry protecting it's check etc. As for the designs if someone copies it exactly then yes you could have a claim (e.g against Rangy Mountain Company for using the logo). As for that French company that had a similar design to the RMC Toyo then no claim as it's not technically copied. Some of the RMC designs have used old drawings/artwork.

You could protect a design such as using the buttons as cufflinks unless there was an actual design element in it which was invented. Cufflinks exist, buttons exist and the screw mechanism exists so no claim.

So much has been done before it is very hard to be totally unique & original with no inspiration which is why a degree of copying has to be allowed......did Martin invent jeans? Did Pepsi invent Cola? Did BMW invent the car?

RMC & Yoropiko are the best so why would anyone want anything else?

Today I've been in one of the autorized RMC/Yoropiko stores in Paris and I saw they were selling this brand! I couldn't believe it, for me it's like they don't respect Martin's work!
Plus jeans are bad quality, buttons seem like plastic, awful!

That is STUPID!!!

Why would a store want to stock an RMC wannabe when they have the real deal?
I could understand it if the store wasn't allowed to stock the GENUINE & AUTHENTIC RMC then they might go for a cheap copy but not if the store is selling the real RMC.

You should go in an ask them why?

Just out of interest what was their price point?

I guess it is similar to John Anthony in Bristol. They too are an official RMC Dealer but they also carried that copy brand Denimistic in the same shop???

I agree that's stupid, this is why I think those stores don't really understand what's RMC/Yoropiko represent. I think for them it's just trendy so they feel like if they wanna be "hype" they need to sell them. In my opinion, they don't care about culture, they just care about dollars!
Concerning prices jeans were around 100 euros (around $150) and they're making discount on RMC jeans, they sell them 180 euros (around $270). And this is why I think they don't understand anything to RMC.
Real stores like CLVII or Shinzo in Paris don't make discount on this kind of products and if they do it's because they are the last ones or because you're a good customer.

Hi guys!
I am sorry, they are business man first, they sell stuffs for everyone's purse, 90% of people cant afford an RMC, so if they can find a cheap pair of jeans, far east culture style, they would buy it if they like, they dont mind about the brand, nor the quality, its a matter of purse, thats what the business man has in mind, so unless they have a sale politic heading to only top high quality and brands shop, they sell those...
Myself, as a business man, i would buy Denimistik jeans, if it doesnt hurt the pure RMC design but is far east or eastern style, and you can believe me, i would sell those as HELL!
Its a matter of business and money pullin... We need to make money to live on something!
See you soon take care!

I think even if you are a business man, you have to keep in mind which market you are working on...
Brands like RMC or Yoropiko are kind of elitist and available in limited quantities. The aim of those brands is not to be bought by the whole world but just by a few people. And that's why they are only a few stores around the world selling those brands.
In conclusion, if you are on a luxury market you just don't care about 90% of people. Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Prada are perfect examples.
And if you care about those 90% don't even try to sell brands like RMC.

Just my opinion...

OMG a frog as me heh, ca fait plaisir!

Well well, i suppose its a guy that has different kind of customers, and could be a plus to have RMC's products in his shop, also its purely an URBAN style, which is propably the main style hes working with! When you get a customer entering your shop coz he saw, know you got RMCs, he doesnt really look like whats around RMC's products... Could be a plus to have RMC's in a shop selling all kind of URBAN products!
GUCCI, and all are different comparing to URBAN style and RMC's products too...
Thats my opinion!

Yeah I tend to agree with your thoughts there, given my many visits to RMC dealers across the country I think the feeling is it is a hard sell. Despite RMC/Yoropiko being without high end luxury clothing it isnt perceived that way by many potential buyers because it has an Urban style about it that doesnt fit the normal premium product mold. By that I mean, look at Gucci or Prada, even if you didnt know the brands you would kind of know they were expensive premium products. RMC and Yoropiko has a kind of underground following, the products are availible in tiny quantities and in very few outlets. Much of the interest in RMC/Yoropiko comes down not just to its styling and quality but also its exclusivity. I guarantee where ever you are in the world you are more likely to see somebody wearing almost any premium brand more than you will see somebody wearing genuine RMC/Yoropiko.