It's true that turning the other cheek can lower blood pressure, maintain sanity and sustain primary focus on one's company, but it can also harm you financially.  The entrepreneurs previously profiled are fortunate that success blessed their businesses and that the knockoffs didn't take money from their pockets or inhibit their success.  As a jewelry designer, I have seen my proprietary work show up in print ads for couture designers as well as the websites on which I hoped to sell my work. However, I know of a purse designer whose work is exceptional given her fashion training and years of experience and she was knockedoff by a woman without fashion training whose work was vastly inferior.  The irony is the inferior purses received the right publicity and that company grew and began doing trade shows.  The superior company though tenured in the industry was turned away from trade shows because the work looked too similar to the inferior products.  The lesson is that sometimes it is necessary to stop what you are doing and take legal action - get a large firm that specializes in fashion to help you pro-bono.  The knockoff companies can gain momentum through publicity or celebrity endorsement.  Document your designs with dated rough draft drawings and notes.  Keep a binder of each of your collections that contains dated invoices from suppliers as well as your notes.  Dated invoices, website date codes and dated initial notes and drawings will prove your case in a law suit.  The bottom line is that it is hard to make headway in many industries - particularly the fashion industry - and turning the other cheek can prove to be an act of charity that can put your fledgling company out of business.