REPLICA FURNITURE INDUSTRY
It seems as though there is a replica furniture store everywhere
you turn on the web these days. Sometime over the last decade or
so, the retail furniture industry has realised that provided the
original design registration has expired, it is perfectly legal to
sell replica furniture in Australia.
But while the classics, such as the Eames lounge chair and
ottoman (1956), or the egg chair by Arne Jacobson (1958), have long
been copied by retailers looking to cash in on these well-known
designs, contemporary Australian designers are now also being
affected. It is difficult enough for a designer to recoup their
significant investment in their design when, only a short time
after registration and publication of their design, a very similar
product appears on the market, often at a sharp discount.
