Moormann defeats Ikea in the battle against plagiarism

Seamless design, ECLISSE steps outdoors

ECLISSE introduces Syntesis Areo Outdoor, extending the sleekness of its flush-to-wall system to exterior applications. Robust and adaptable, it reimagines technical access points as integrated design features, ensuring a continuous aesthetic flow between interior and exterior spaces.

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Comparable to David’s victory against Goliath, the battle won by the German company Niels Holger Moormann against the giant Ikea, drew to an end 26 April last year after two and a half years of struggle in the law courts. We’re not exaggerating. Not forgetting what happened to the well known design brand Authentics last October: Hans Maier-Aichen had to present a request for bankruptcy for Artipresent – the company which marketed Authentics products – due to the vast legal expenses sustained in America to defend the copyright of a number of its products. The brand survived (distributed by Flot Otto), whilst the company structure was drastically scaled down. The problem of protecting a brand has tormented producers of designer furniture for a long time, too long, oppressed by now by the same problems as the fashion world. Also due to bad protection in terms of not very cautious legislation that has two fundamental defects: it accepts minimal and marginal modifications to the original product as sufficient reason to establish the originality of the new product; it limits the recognition of the copy only in the country in which the law courts have declared it, forcing companies copied to present their case in every country where the product is being distributed.

The original trestle Taurus, designed by Jörg Sturm and Susanne Wartzeck in 1993 for Moormann

Niels Holger Moormann (David) in front of the company’s office in Aschau

Original by Siemens in comparison with the copy by Lauder, first prize Plagiarius 2001

The imitation produced by Ikea and now banned on the German market

Original by Coronet against copy by Yinshan Manufacturing Brushes, Distinctions Plagiarius 2001

Do you know how a food disposer works?

60% of American kitchens have one, and food waste disposers are becoming increasingly popular in Italy as well. But what exactly are they, and how do they work?

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Moormann defeats Ikea in the battle against plagiarism

Seamless design, ECLISSE steps outdoors

Do you know how a food disposer works?

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