Royal Knock-offs, yay or nay?

Remember this?

 

I'm already married, but if I was in the market for it, this Butterick knock-off of Kate Middleton's Alexander McQueen gown (B5731) is pretty damn spot-on.

But that's not all. If you want to capture the romance and drama of the Royal Wedding, you need your hot sister to steal the show. (P.S. Isn't it gross how Brits use the word "rump"?) Presenting Butterick 5710 (on sale right now for only $3.75):

And who could forget this kiss...

Or that grouchy flower girl in the left corner above. She made my day. Here's the full view of her dress...yep, still grouchy:

 And here's Butterick's perfect replica — B5705:

The only thing inauthentic is the smile on that sweet model's face. Scowl a little, would you, sweetheart?

Indeed, they're all beautiful, timeless dresses. But is it cool for a pattern-maker to knock-off a designer in this way? Kate Middleton's dress was by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, but it's not like it's the first time a bride has worn a sweetheart neckline with lace overlay — though maybe it was the first time in about 50 years. After all, we've all seen the comparisons to this, Grace Kelly's sexy/demure wedding dress from 1956:

It is 2011, and we've been clothing ourselves for millenia, so is everything technically a knock-off?  I don't feel guilty for tracing around my kid's favourite hoodie to knock-off a pattern for a replacement, but I would if I were selling them.