AUTHENTIC DESIGN ALLIANCE®

HELP STOP DESIGN THEFT!

Authentic Design Alliance® is an independent member-funded association that exists to promote the value of investing in original furniture, lighting, and interior products in the fight against design theft. We advocate for vastly improved IP protection for the furnishing sector, and for the word 'replica' to be eradicated from our industry.

Britain joined Europe by criminalising the 'replica' industry, leveling fines of up to £50,000 or 10 years jail! Reforms included backdating copyright law to cover design icons savaged by the replica industry, extending copyright protection for the life of the designer plus an additional 70 years after their death ('life plus 70').

"A successful product employs a network.

 A successful collection creates a sub-economy"

Meanwhile, unlike other creative disciplines in Australia, no automatic copyright protection applies to furnishings. Music, film, literature, art, photography, and architecture are immediately and freely protected at no cost to the creator - so why is design treated differently?

As an education platform, we support designers, manufacturers, distributors, importers, and retailers of authentic products, and advocate for radically improved intellectual property (IP) protection to align with Europe and other trading partners.

ADA® members directly enable our advocacy and national event program, helping us to inform consumers, business owners and design professionals about the importance of investing in authentic products, and providing ongoing updates on the latest developments with IP reform.

Discover more about ADA® membership here (or here if on mobile / device)

Lets get real.

6 Facts About Design Theft.

1.

THE WORD REPLICA IS CONFUSING CONSUMERS

Replicas are NOT connected to the original designer or brand licensed to make or sell the products.
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Replica is mistaken to be a trend like ‘Vintage’ or ‘Industrial’ vs designs stolen from authorised brands. We need to get real!
Replica is fake. Replica is design theft.
2.

DESIGNERS EARN INCOME FROM SALES ROYALTIES

Industrial and furniture designers work in small studios or as designer-makers. Design theft robs them of a rightful income from royalties - a small percentage of net sales.
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Independent designers can’t afford expensive legal battles, even if their work is design registered!
3.

DESIGN THEFT DAMAGES THE ENTIRE DESIGN ECONOMY

Buying copies and replicas hurts more than the designer - the entire design economy is affected - retailers, manufacturers, makers and importers invested in authentic design.
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Counterfeit design threatens the future growth of Australia’s furnishing industry.
4.

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS DON’T KNOW WHAT IS REAL OR FAKE

Compared to Europe, Australia lacks an embedded design culture. Most consumers don’t know what’s real and what’s fake and our government can’t see a problem.
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Education is critical to understand the value of original design, so we can all make informed buying decisions.
5.

"DISPOSABLE DECORATING" FEEDS LANDFILL, IT'S UNSUSTAINABLE!

Buying the cheapest option equates replacing a product 10 or more times compared to investing in an original product that will last a lifetime.
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We must choose well, buy once and invest in ethically made products.
Buy objects we value, care for, and keep.
6.

INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ARE A HUGE PART OF THE PROBLEM

Many interior design and building professionals don’t know, or worse, don’t care about what’s real and what’s fake!
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Australian businesses profit by knocking off local designs. Design theft by professionals hurts the entire industry and devalues their projects!
JOIN THE ADA®

BECOME A MEMBER

ADA Members enable our program

As an education platform, we strive for a shift cultural change in buyer behaviour by spotlighting how objects are made, why they exist, and why we all must invest in original products we care about, value, and don't throw away. 

As a member-funded association - membership fees directly fund our activity. Join now and help stop design theft!

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6 REASONS TO JOIN THE ADA®

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