: I never knew there was a federal law relating to copying a hull design, but
: this article I found while looking for information on Hawai'ian outrigger
: canoes is an eye opener. It relates to The Vessel Hull Design Protection
: Act, or VHDPA.

There is a thread in the WoodenBoat Forums dealing with this topic. The thread is now up to 217 posts, has been going strong for seven weeks, and it gets interesting when the gloves come off. I've been sitting on the sidelines watching the fireworks.

Most of the discussion centers around one particular small sailboat, designed by Nat Herreshoff over a century ago (I think).