News: design brands including Vitra, Artek and Flos have joined forces to attack the UK government for delaying the implementation of a law that would outlaw the sale of copies of their furniture and lighting products. More about Design brands attack UK government over copyright law delay
A bill to extend copyright protection on industrial design from 25 years to the length of the author's life plus 70 years has today become law in the UK. More about UK design copyright bill comes into force
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in this movie filmed in Milan earlier this month, leading designers and manufacturers discuss the phenomenon of copying and how they are responding. "It’s become an increasingly big problem for us," says Tom Dixon. "People can steal ideas and produce them almost faster than we can now." More about “Milan is a breeding ground for people who copy our products”
Dezeen Wire: The Guardian reports on a campaign to persuade high-street retailers to respect the intellectual property of independent designers following the case of English pattern designer Rachael Taylor, who last week spoke out after finding a product almost identical to her own on sale at Marks & Spencer (above and below; Taylor's designs are on the right in both photos). More about "Retailers urged to support design copyright campaign" - The Guardian