It has come to my attention this morning that you have copied the literary art of Northampton artist Louise Verity of BookishlyUK.
I understand that Louise brought it to your attention buy the proper methods, but that you have replied that your product is not a copy. So I guess that means you are not going to do anything about the problem.
I'm sorry that your company has had the wool pulled over your eyes by either an in-house artist of your own, or an agency. But the fact remains, the product is a copy and you need to do something about it.
BookishlyUK is well within their rights to take further action against you on this, and I can assure you Louise isn't going to 'go away' perhaps like you hope that small fry will. She has the means to take this as far as it needs to go, and also the support of her peers and customers, who don't take this kind of thing lightly.
I understand how much money you have probably sunk into the product, and you will want to recoup that money, so you are not going to want to pull them from sale. But you are going to have to because this will cost you in PR and in legal fees. How much will it cost you in PR we can't say as yet. It's pretty early doors. But I will say that the kind of people that the product is pitched at would be intelligent folk. Intelligent folk have a tendency not to appreciate large corporations copying independent artists work (deliberately or otherwise). Intelligent folk also tend to use social media...intelligently. This story will gain momentum quickly, and not in a good way for your company.
Wouldn't it be simpler to just admit the mistake and fire the employee or agency who copied? If it is an agency, you can seek compensation through them via the correct means.
M&S, it is what you do next that counts. Can we really count on you?
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| Bookishly product on the left, M&S product on the right. |
Yours sincerely,
Diana Parkhouse
badgers badgers ltd
Makes you wonder how many other copy-cat products they sell!!!
ReplyDeleteAye, it does at that.
DeleteNicely written!
ReplyDeleteShared on my Facebook, hope it will be picked up, and M&S will see that they were wrong.
May justice prevail!
Yes, I hope too that it is picked up. It seems the only way to get people to do the right thing these days.
DeleteI have also just shared on my Facebook, with a request that friends and family do the same. I was gifted some of Louise's work last year and absolutely love it. Hopefully they will see sense and at the very least remove the cheap, crappy copies from sale.
ReplyDeleteYes, I gave my sister one of Louise's pieces for Christmas last year. It was hard for me not to keep it for myself.
DeleteWell done. It is important that the artists get their work noticed for themselves without it being used as someone elses. Stances need to be taken and this seems the correct way to go about it. Good luck for your rights.
ReplyDeleteSad news when a big British company copies a small British designer. Have tweeted M&S about it, and tweeted Elle Decoration as they had a big Commission Don't Copy campaign last year and on-going. Hope it gets resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteBetsy xx
I have not been in M&S since the manager asked some charity collectors for Multiple Sclerosis not to stand outside their store. I wrote to him, and he did not reply.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't right but I wonder why M&S have been singled out. I went to Ikea the other day and saw lots of original ideas - like the cut out butterfly pictures - now changed slightly and sold with no reference to the original artist.
ReplyDeleteI've also posted it on my Facebook page, it is utterly unforgivable of such a big corporation to do this AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteMarks and Spencers, no wonder you aren't making the profits you used to, you're employing methods of 'design' that are simply copying. That doesn't sit well with anyone who has spent years building up their product range through the correct methods.
Shame on M&S, and good luck to Louise of Bookishly, there are lots of people behind you!
Katie, What Katie did next...
I have posted this on my Facebook page too. This is terrible, I hope they get pulled from sale and Louise gets the credit she deserves.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much everyone for your help and support with this! The issue has indeed gained some momentum and attention and there may be more to report soon. Louise is very wisely maintaining a professional and dignified approach to this, and I commend her for it. It is a shame that M&S don't appreciate the effort she went to in order to do things properly by them, and that any sort of fuss has to be made at all. It's not very British and quite unbecoming.
ReplyDeleteThis happens all the time everywhere especially in the craft world.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that MS are run by unscrupulous Directors and a CEO who couldn't even run a whelk stall stall.They are arrogant and dishonest and treat their small suppliers abominably knowing they haven't got the resources to take them on.They have no shame which is the word for crook in Spanish ( sin verguenza ) If their shareholders knew that the MS directors are incompetent and making MS soon to follow Woolworth...The end of MS was written when Jewish executives left 30 years ago,they knew how to sell and were honest and decent to their small suppliers as they had been badly treated themselves as a minority.
ReplyDelete