We have set your state and postcode to | This content is for logged in myfreedom members only. Name - A to Z Name - Z to A Price range $ to $$ Price range $$ to $ You can temporarily lift this restriction by proving that you're human: February Sale of Furniture, Interiors, Whisky, Porcelain, Coins & Postcards, etc Henry wilkinson pin tail ducks gilt framed coloured etching signed… Cat: Interior Sale of Carpets,… 19th century indo/persian glazed pottery floral decorated plaque - 36cm… 1 bottle highland park thor 16 year old single malt… Cat: Rare & Collectable Whisky,… 1917 gold coin republica peruana lima, una libra More... Place commissioned bid online How do I do this? Login to your account Live bid by phone Contact us to register Register for item alerts Login to your accountHerman Miller has settled its latest court dispute with Australian company Matt Blatt, over claims the replica furniture producer was passing off imitation Eames furniture designs as originals.
American furniture brand Herman Miller announced it was taking legal action against Matt Blatt in September, claiming the company’s website was misleading consumers as to the authenticity of certain items by selling counterfeit furniture – specifically, copies of certain Charles and Ray Eames pieces – that were not clearly identified as replicas. Herman Miller, a company whose history dates back to 1905, has been producing Eames designs since the 1940s and owns the rights to produce and sell Eames originals. Herman Miller elected to take the dispute over the Eames trademark to the Federal Court of Australia, and the matter has now been settled. The terms of the settlement remain confidential, however the Matt Blatt website currently displays the following message: “Matt Blatt’s replica products are not manufactured or approved by, or affiliated with, the original designers, manufacturers or distributors including Herman Miller, Charles or Ray Eames, Knoll, Fritz Hansen, Flos, Studio Italia, Giogali, Artemide Spa, Tolix or Xavier Pauchard.”
The Eames imitation designs are identified as replicas across the website, though they still retain the ‘Eames’ in their product name. This latest legal battle is not the first time Herman Miller has gone public with the battle against replica furniture – Matt Blatt gave a public and legally binding undertaking to Herman Miller in 2006 to clearly identify the imitation Eames designs it sells as replicas. Jeremy Hocking, Vice President of Herman Miller Asia Pacific, said: “Some peddlers of copy products mislead the public into thinking they are buying the iconic Eames products designed for Herman Miller. It has once again taken legal action by us to ensure that a distributor does not misuse Herman Miller’s trademarks and design credentials to mislead the public.” Hocking continued: “Nevertheless we are satisfied with the radical changes to Matt Blatt’s website that were implemented immediately after our legal proceedings commenced. I’m pleased to say that Tebi Pty Limited (trading as Matt Blatt) have also given a further public and legally binding undertaking that gives further protection to Herman Miller’s rights.
So we’re happy and we think all manufacturers of original and authentic designs will also be happy that we’ve been able to win this small but significant battle for the ethics of authentic design.” Herman Miller is one of over 40 members of the Authentic Design Alliance, an organisation established in 2010 to support the integrity of original, authentic design and protect the intellectual property rights of designers and licensed manufacturers. For more recent ADR coverage regarding IP rights in Australia and internationally click here.Stylish and affordable, Mocka’s Britta Chair provides the ultimate comfort. With a cushy, padded seat and sturdy, wooden frame, this chair creates a stunning feature in any setting. With the Britta Chair when the chance comes to put your feet up, all you have to worry about is who’s going to bring your next cup of coffee! Mocka's Maya Ladder Shelf is a functional piece of furniture that you can use in any room in your home. Store or showcase household items on the sleek contemporary tiered shelves.
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Iconic designs such as the Egg chair, the Arco floor lamp and the Eames lounge chair, designed by American designers Charles and Ray Eames in 1956, will again be protected by copyright law within the EU. Eames original moulded plastic chairs. In Australia the sale of replica furniture continues to thrive with online retailers such as Milan Direct, Zanui, Matt Blatt and Sokol legally selling replicas of classic designs. Louisa Moran from Herman Miller, which owns the rights to Eames furniture, welcomed the European ruling. “I think it would be fabulous if it had an effect on how people purchased replicas in Australia,” she said. “But I think you do need very firm laws in place like they have in the UK to actually make that happen.” “In Australia, companies like Matt Blatt, Glicks, Target, Kmart and Bunnings have got fakes on their floor, but the ones who advertise them as replicas are allowed to use the design name as long as they say it is a replica,” explains Moran.
Much imitated … the Eames lounge chair and ottoman were designed by Americans Charles and Ray Eames, in 1956. The problem according to Moran is that she doesn’t think Australians associate replicas with fakes. “They don’t realise that they are buying a respected original design that has been manufactured in a sub-standard way. I don’t think they understand the integrity, the legacy, the history of those original designs. It is tricking the consumer and undervaluing the original design. The manufacturing standards are not there with fakes and I think the general public are being duped.” A plastic moulded Eames chair sold by Zanui costs around $50, while an original from Living Edge, the national retailer for Herman Miller, starts at $690. An Arco floor lamp purchased through Milan Direct costs $99, whereas an original from the Conran Shop in the UK sells for around £1425 ($2790). “We offer replica furniture because it is in demand” explains Ryely Newman from online retailer, Zanui.
“The reason that replica furniture is popular is because they are stylish designs at accessible price points.” The classic Arco floor lamp designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962. Photo: supplied by Euroluce Newman thinks the UK ruling “shouldn’t have any immediate effect on Australian consumers though we expect Australian law could follow suit sometime in the future.” “The UK changes are timely and provide a worthy example for Australia to follow,” says Anne-Maree Sargeant from the Authentic Design Alliance, a members-based education platform promoting original design and aiming for replica designer furniture and lighting and intellectual property theft to become illegal in Australia. The Alliance is set to relaunch in May. However, adds Sargeant, “we have a slightly more difficult task given ‘original design’ is not valued by Australians. Similarly, getting the attention of the government has been challenging as the copied product designs have been difficult to quantify in economic terms.”
Sargeant says that she speaks regularly to Australian designers who “discover copies of their original designs in hotels, restaurants and office fit outs in large quantities. Significant quantities that dwarf volumes sold at consumer retailers. In these instances Australian businesses are sending the images and product specifications owned by the designer or licensed manufacturer to Asia and copied, then imported to Australia.” “Robbing them of this income stream is damaging the future for Australian designers and if this continues there will be no real incentive for our designers to create original products. Unless of course they move to the UK or other protected territories.” She says to make matters worse, the word “replica” is not clearly understood, with many people mistaking it to mean vintage. Jo-Ann Kellock, CEO of the Australian Design Alliance (AdA), the alliance of peak professional organisations that represent designers across all aspects of Australia’s design industry says that “changes to legislation such as that in the UK makes her concerned that Australia is vulnerable via its current intellectual property arrangements and free trade agreements to becoming the global dumping ground of replicas and dodgy products.”