What’s the Story with Cheap Knockoffs?
After working nonstop over the last two weeks to catch up on business and life, post-concussion, today I finally feel like I can breathe again. So it feels like the perfect time to let you in on a new role I’ve been given as Dauntless Founder & CEO: Council Member for ACID (Anti Copying in Design).
ACID is a trade association for creatives, designers, & manufacturers. Most importantly, though, ACID is the UK’s leading design and intellectual property rights campaigning organisation. It might sound dull, but the work ACID does is so important for founders and consumers!
I never thought I would be classed as a creative, designer, or manufacturer. When I came up with the idea for DAUNTLESS, I knew it would be important to protect it, but I didn’t know how. Luckily enough, I was led to ACID by a not-so-invisible string of great people (who will be featured in the DAUNTLESS newsletter soon!)
So today, I want to bring you behind the scenes on the importance of Intellectual Property:
What it is
Why it matters at a macro level
Why we should care as individuals
And how to help protect creatives & designers rights
What is Intellectual Property?
Fundamentally, Intellectual Property refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literary and artistic works (books, paintings, etc), designs, and symbols.
Intellectual Property is all around us! It’s the clothes we wear, the pattern on the underground/metro/subway seats, the music on the radio, or even the local kebab shop’s logo.
Why is Intellectual Property important?
I’ll zoom out a bit to answer this.
Love it or hate it, we live in a capitalist system where businesses produce things others need at prices they all agree on. But how do we know if the things we’re being sold are worth it?
That’s where Intellectual Property (IP) comes in because IP is what gives businesses value.
As consumers, we are constantly making decisions about value. Typically, we are happy to pay for something where we find value in it. That value came from an idea, and it is therefore someone’s or something’s “intellectual property.”
Zooming way out: at a macro level, we need Intellectual Property for economic development.
So what are Intellectual Property Rights?
IP rights are legal tools that give creators exclusive right to use their creation over a certain period of time. These are patents, trade marks, copyright, design rights, and trade secrets.
And sometimes this leads to important legal battles - some of which I’ll be discussing in future newsletters.
What does this have to do with tights?
When I came up with a revolutionary new design for tights, I also created a new way to manufacture tights. I wanted to protect my rights as a designer and inventor, so I filed for a patent. I also made the decision to protect the brand I’m building, right here by filing a trademark for DAUNTLESS.
Why should you care about Intellectual Property and IP rights?
Well, beyond the fact that you want perfectly fitting tights that last longer, I’ll have Laura Newbold Breen, the CEO of ACID, explain why IP rights are important to everyone:
“IP is the product of our imaginations; something unique to each and every one of us. And that uniqueness should be respected! The effort that goes into designing something, from concept to prototype, or concept to putting pen to paper, is immense.
For many, it’s also their livelihoods.
Unfortunately, successful designs and ideas are at risk of being copied - there will always be people looking to make money off the back of somebody else’s hard work. And now, with the rise of AI, the machines are at it too! So, more than ever, we should all think twice when we look to buy the cheaper version, or ask AI for inspiration.”
IP is a big issue, and I would be remiss to not emphasise that context is crucial.
You might see people on Instagram or TikTok telling you not to buy fake bags or products, or not to shop fast fashion, etc.
Well, it’s not that simple because there are a variety of socioeconomic factors that impact our individual purchasing agency.
So I suggest you do what you can:
If you feel able to shop directly from a creative’s store, do that.
If you feel able to shop second-hand, do that.
If you feel able to avoid retailers known for stealing smaller brands’ designs (you know who I’m talking about…), do that.
If you feel able to support designers and creatives by following them on social media, do that.
If you’d like to engage directly with ACID (see the button below), I invite you to do that.
I think Laura captured the essence of what I’m encouraging us all to do:
“Think where that idea/product/song first came from. Chances are it’s the IP of somebody who really worked hard for it, and relies on it.”
I appreciate you for supporting my journey as a designer, creative, and manufacturer. Together, we can help protect IP rights by consuming consciously, mindfully, and intentionally, whatever that looks like for each of us.