Fight the copies

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By Michael Khouri, Fritz Hansen

Renowned for design icons such as the Egg™ and the Series 7™ chair, Fritz Hansen’s furniture designs are some of the most copied in the world. The luxury furniture brand has responded by launching its Be Original, Fight the Copies campaign, in order to protect its consumers, as well as its design rights.

Every year, Fritz Hansen takes action to start more than 100 court cases against companies and individuals, mainly situated in the Far East, who infringe its design rights. It’s a big challenge for the furniture brand, as design and property rights are not respected in many parts of the world.

However, with the Be Original, Fight the Copies campaign, Fritz Hansen is making a strong statement and striving to raise awareness of the issue.

The campaign is designed to inform and educate consumers of the qualities of original design, as well as to protect our design history and heritage, which has been built up over a century and a half. With an original design, you not only buy world-class craftsmanship that will last for decades, you also buy a historical and sculptural piece that should be seen as a financial investment. In the current economic climate that we face today, long lasting, sustainable products are a more obvious choice for consumers.

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With a copy, you get low-quality, copy-cat design. Copies are accompanied by uncertainties of product lifespan, a lack of safety guarantees and also raise questions about the working conditions under which the designs were produced.

You also have to consider company image and what signal its sends to customers when a company chooses a copy over an original design. Copies not only represent bad taste but act as a sign of disrespect to the designer and holders of the original design rights. With an original design, you not only buy a quality product, you also buy into a lifestyle that will enhance your image.

Those who consider buying copies may be looking to save in the short-term but in the long run, the cost of reinvesting in new products is huge. As sustainability is already a growing concern for our clients in the Middle East, with an original Fritz Hansen piece they can be assured that the product’s iconic status will remain consistent with its durability – and last for a lifetime!

These days, the well-maintained designs of Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm are selling at higher prices than what it would cost to buy a brand new version, as Fritz Hansen’s furniture designs are increasingly seen as a viable investment and a strong statement to their surroundings.

Alongside other luxury brands, Fritz Hansen will continue to challenge those who infringe its design rights. And the future looks bright as we see that a growing number of countries outside of Europe are beginning to respect companies’ design rights – making it all the more difficult for the ‘copiers’.

Michael Khouri is the regional sales manager for the Middle East for Fritz Hansen. He can be contacted on mkh@fritzhansen.com.

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