The fashion industry has glamorous upsides like gorgeous couture gowns, celebrity-studded front rows and beautiful supermodels, but recently we've been seeing a fair amount of its not-so-stylish downsides, like copyright infringement, counterfeit battles and contract disputes.

So, it's quite apropos that Fairchild Books released the title, "Fashion Law: A Guide for Designers, Fashion Executives and Attorneys." Co-written by Stuart Weitzman's general counsel and executive vice president Barbara Kolsun, the self-professed "first book ever on fashion law" covers a range of legal topics -- from intellectual property, counterfeiting and employment contracts to marketing and advertising regulations.

Kolsun, whose resume includes posts as general counsel at Kate Spade and Seven for All Mankind, told StyleList, "I am often asked by young designers 'How do I get started?' 'Is this design protected by copyright?' or 'Can I use this photograph in an ad campaign?' There was a niche in the market for a book like this."

Along with an impressive list of notable contributing attorneys, Kolsun's co-author Guillermo Jiminez is a fashion law professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

While Annie Leibovitz could probably have used the 352-page paperback before she landed herself in legal hot water, you can hopefully avoid courtroom drama by ordering a copy of "Fashion Law" for $80 on Amazon.com and FairchildBooks.com.

Some chic companies are flexing their legal knowledge: This British brand was recently awarded $1.5 million.