Mid-century design classics, such as Charles Eames chairs, Eileen Gray tables and Arco lamps are set to rocket in price, following EU regulations which came into force this week that extend the copyright on furniture from 25 years to 70 years after the death of a designer. But shoppers have six months to snap up a replica bargain, as the UK has given retailers a six-month transitionary period to clear their existing stock. Take, for example, the famous Eames walnut and leather armchair with matching ottoman. The officially licensed and copyrighted producer, Vitra, sells them for £6,814 in John Lewis. Yet copies made in Chinese factories sell over the internet and in some stores for as little as £399. It is these low-cost knock-offs that will now be banned. A change in law which came into force on 28 July 2016 means that retailers will no longer be able to sell cheap replicas of iconic furniture designs and shoppers will instead be forced to pay thousands for original designs – ie those made brand new under licence with the agreement of the late designers’ estates.
The six-month transition period will run out at the end of January. Companies can currently sell replica goods providing 25 years has passed from the date the designer died, but the EU ruling – speeded up by the British government – has extended that period to 70 years. Eames died in 1978, so the new protection extends the copyright of the many chairs, tables and clocks he designed until 2048. For items designed jointly with his wife, Ray, the copyright would extend for a further 10 years, as she died in 1988. The explosion in popularity of “mid-century modern” designs means the new law will have a huge impact on many people furnishing their homes. Take, for example, the Barcelona chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – hailed as one of the most celebrated designs of all time. Currently replicas can be found on sites such as Swivel UK for just £455. The officially licensed version sells at the Conran Shop for more than £4,000. Van der Rohe died in 1969, so his copyright will now last until 2039.
Similarly, £200 replicas of the Arco floor lamp (designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962) and which graced the Downing Street flat occupied by David Cameron and his family, will be removed from sale, with the Flos licensed version available for £1,420 at John Lewis. The official Arne Jacobsen Egg chair costs £4,283 on the licensed Fritz Hansen website, but can, for now, be found for £359.98 at Vertigo Interiors, and £500 elsewhere. Gray’s chrome and glass side table sells for under £100 on some websites, yet the official version costs £433.50 licensed through Aram Design. The changes to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 extends the copyright for a deceased designer’s work from 25 years to 70 years. Originally the new law wasn’t meant to come into force until 2020, but it was expedited when the government decided that the time period was excessive, and to bring it into line with European intellectual property law. The changes – designed to offer protection to British designers for a longer period of time and originally the brainchild of the former business secretary Vince Cable as a boost for UK manufacturing and innovation – are backed by Habitat founder and designer Sir Terence Conran and fashion designer Stella McCartney.
David Woods, a copyright laywer with solicitors Pinsent Masons, said the changes were intended to bring copyright laws governing furniture into line with those covering literature and music, where there have been many high-profile court challenges. But he admits there could still be difficulties proving whether an item was a complete and intentional copy of another design: “The intent of the change to the legislation is to stop ‘exact’ copies of existing industrially designed artistic works, although this means that products that are ‘inspired by’ the works may still be allowed, so long as they do not cross the line. Identifying where that line is can be an inexact science, unfortunately, and when considering what amounts to copyright infringement, the courts will consider the question of whether a whole, or a substantial part, of a work has been copied.” With an estimated 54 factories in China making Eames furniture alone, he predicts the closure of websites producing bargain basement, mass-produced copies of furniture, “as after all, this was their business model”.
In a recent post I mentioned that because I spend a very large portion of my life on a computer, I want to make sure I have the best system available. I was going to use the analogy of the travelling businessman wanting to get the most reliable, conformable and fully featured car available, before moving swiftly into the over used comparison than Apple were the BMW of the car market. Owned by people series about their cars. However I realised that despite my fine words, I wasn’t actually practising what I preached. Sure I had a nice computer, and lots of cool gadget. However my working environment was less than comfortable because of the cheap lump of plastic and foam I laughingly call an Office chair. If my Apple is the BMW of computers, what is the BMW of office chairs? Well in my mind there is only one answer. It has to be the Aeron by Herman Miller. The Aeron is a design classic, as seen in advertising agencies, PR companies and architects studios all over the world.
In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of you gracing one as you read this post. Unfortunately I’m no hot-shot creative director with a loft apartment and a six figure expense account. So an Aeron, however nice, is a little above my budget. However the Aeron does have a younger sister in the shape of the Mirra. While not quite as flash as the Aeron, it still looks pretty slick, and is supposed to be just as comfortable. So I fully expect this to be the next in a long line of expensive gadgets I obsess about for ages before finally biting the bullet and splashing out on one. Posted at August 3, 2005 1:11 PM Price: Lo To Hi Price: Hi To Lo Original, fully-licensed Herman Miller furniture for the home. Choose from Smart Furniture's great selection of Herman Miller furniture and accessories, from modern classics to authentic, timeless pieces. Herman Miller is a leading provider of modern furniture that creates great places to live, learn, work and heal. Herman Miller celebrates iconic designs by some of the most famous artists and engineers in modern time, including Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi.
Smart Furniture is an authorized retailer of Herman Miller furniture products for the home. All Herman Miller chairs, tables and other items are authentic and made from top-quality materials with a high level of craftsmanship. Featuring the groundbreaking Embody Chair for the home office. Embody redefines the limits of what an ergonomic office chair can do for you. With a design guided by years of meticulous research, creators Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber went beyond making a chair that was good for human posture and delivered the first office chair that has a positive effect on the mind. With a Pixelated Support system that increases circulation, the Embody Chair can increases the oxygen supply to the brain, increasing cognitive capacity and productivity. It feels great too. Smart Furniture's design tool allows shoppers to customize their Embody Chair in 2-3 minutes, and our sales team is just a phone call away to help explain every feature.Herman Miller is a global company with operations, sales offices, dealers, and licensees in more than 40 countries in North America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, serving customers virtually anywhere in the world.