That really sucks that this happened to you. I have read lots of articles lately on small designers being pushed out by big brands and having basically no recourse, it being too expensive and difficult to prove. From what I recall the jewellery designer Wendy Brandes had a piece on her blog, and there were various articles in the New York Times, WSJ etc. I hope things work out for you and good luck.

From a consumer’s point of view I recently bought a leather note book from a stationery store in Leura in the Blue Mountains. It has a refill in it that is branded with an American company’s details. When I had a problem with the item I tried to take it to a retailer in Sydney that sold the American brand, (being unable to get back to the mountains), only to be told that it was a local rip-off. An attempt to get satisfaction from the original sellers via telephone was unsuccessful, as “they do not offer refunds”.

This type of copyright infringement affects everyone and it is in everybody’s interests to fight this. The designer loses income and credibility and the consumer gets shoddy goods. (I paid more for my rip-off than the price of the orignal American design, by the way).

I will be alerting the American designers about this issue as a result of reading this blog. I had not been sure what to do before. Following these things up is time consuming and annoying but hopefully we will all get satisfaction in the end!