Can You Patent Yoga Pants?

A lawsuit over $98 yoga pants feels sort of ridiculous its face. But the case is actually a big deal.

Intellectual property has historically only played a minor role in the fashion industry, and this suit may signal an important shift.

The classic argument for intellectual property is that it encourages innovation. If there's no intellectual property, the reasoning goes, companies won't spend the time and money to come up with new ideas, because their competitors will just steal them.

But the fashion industry doesn't work like that.