THIS SHIT IS BANANAS! Gwen Stefani is suing Forever 21 for ripping off her Harajuku Lovers line. Okay, we call yellow snow.

First of all, she’s been ripping off Japanese and British fashion all this time. Super Lovers, meet Harajuku Lovers. Vivienne Westwood, may we present Gwen Stefani? It seems the girl can’t help but steal from the best, from her Blonde Ambition hair to her sample-heavy songs and covers.

Second, why is she picking on Forever 21? (Which, incidentally, is owned by an enterprising Korean-American family, a scary Christian fundamentalist one, but still.) Other cheapo fashion chains like Wet Seal and Aeropostale have also knocked off Harajuku Lovers and Stefani’s other underperforming line, L.A.M.B.

[Updated paragraph] Gwen is claiming that consumers will be confused by the similar styling of her “Harajuku Lovers” logo with the chain store’s “Forever Love” lettering on its version of grungy-slut, made-in-China apparel. Her spokesperson told E! News, “We feel that both our L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers designs have been infringed upon by Forever 21 and we plan to vigorously protect our intellectual property.”

Except that fashion designs are NOT PROTECTED by the Copyright Act (and a push to give them three-year protection was defeated in Congress last year). TRADEMARKS, however, are protected. Which means that exact copies (i.e. fake LV monogram bags) are illegal because it hurts consumers and the designers’ brands (not to mention their profits). Even so, Gwen will have a tough time proving her case. Forever 21 knows how to, uh, skirt the law.

So, why aren’t fashion designs given the same intellectual property rights as movies, books and other creative products. Because, by convention, clothes are considered basic utilitarian goods. They keep you warm. They hide your naughty bits. Generally speaking, they are not scientific inventions and, in the eyes of the courts, are not considered artistic expression. “But that’s not fair!” you say.

Okay, consider this. Fashion thrives on recycling old ideas (as Gwen herself knows all too well). “There is no such thing as an original design. All these designers are getting their inspiration from things that were done before,” said Oscar-gown knock-off king Allen B. Schwartz in The New York Times. But in the same article, the much-copied designer Jeffrey Chow agreed with this rationale, “There are no boundaries in fashion.”

Fashion itself is based on trends, and trends thrive when people take an idea and add to it and pass it on. “Inspiration” is part of the creative process. And as law professor Chris Sprigman told ABC News, a fashion copyright could prevent manufacturers from making anything inspired by high fashion. And that means A) the death of fashion as we know it (mode would become outmoded), and B) only rich people get to look cute!

Gwen Stefani obviously has her supporters. But she must realize that most of her fans shop at places like Forever 21 because there’s no way they can afford her pseudo-couture creations. Or as one poster on the Gwen-friendly site Perez Hilton puts it. “I’m sorry, her two shitty clothing lines are way over priced and she is not even a legit designer. Bitch please, you can’t go from having a line with LeSportsac charging $70 for some bag and then making Gucci rip-off bags and charging $800 dollars for it, I don’t think so.”

Next up on the docket, Gwen sues the nation of Japan for its use of kanji characters. •