Unfortunately we are coming across more and more replica / fake / reproduction furniture being sold over the Internet including the Kartell Louis Ghost Chair.  This issue is affecting young designers as well as established ones from making a living and not to mention manufacturers of the licensed product and retailers.   It also affects the end consumer who thinks they are buying the real deal but are in fact purchasing an inferior product. We have had several phone calls of late with customers telling us horror stories of cheap Chinese copies advertised as authentic models only to be disappointed when they receive the product.

Elle Decoration and Sir Terence Conran have put there heads together in a campaign to fight the fakes as designers in the UK are not protected under the same copyright laws as Music, Film, Drama, Literature and Art. Design is surely an art and is as creative as some of those listed. I would even argue that a Kartell product requires more creative thinking.

The current law did allow the fakers selling these nasty Chinese copies to get away with this carefree. Well not anymore. Last month the government has made it the law that no designs can be copied until 70 years after the original designer has died.

This is hopefully going to send shockwaves to knock off furniture stores with the European design houses able to sue the offending retailers and importers. No to mention young designers being able to make an honest living,  jobs being created and also a much needed boost to the UK economy. This latest law change is set to be worth £7.9 billion to the UK economy.

You can sign the petition in the link below to help support the Design industry being protected.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26273

If you have had a bad experience purchasing reproduction furniture you can name and shame the company on the Facebook page below to help fight the fakes.

http://www.facebook.com/EqualRightsForDesignUK

Design 55 only stock the real deal and authentic furniture direct from the licensed manufacturers. We will soon be posting in the blog how to tell the difference between a fake and real Kartell Ghost Chair.