Authentic Design Alliance

Design theft occurs when someone profits by making copies of original furniture, lighting, or architectural products. Everyone buying, selling, or specifying replicas and knock-offs becomes part of the problem.

Short-lifespan furnishings end up in landfills at such an alarming rate that it is now a critical environmental issue.

Our vision is that design is valued. For customers to consider what they buy and for original products hold a meaning that transcends a purchase price.

Our mission is to see the replica furniture sector criminalized as it has been in Europe and the UK.

Australian law also allows a designer’s name to sell fakes if used with the word ‘replica’. Using the designer or product name to sell knock-offs misleads customers into thinking products are connected to the original brand. They’re not.

“A successful product employs a network.

A successful collection creates a sub-economy.”

As an independent for-purpose association, we drive awareness about the cultural, societal, and environmental damage caused by ‘disposable decorating.’

We strive to shift the dial towards consumers valuing authentic products and long-term purchases over cheap short-lifespan copies to support a stronger future for our industry.

The replica problem continued to escalate. Cheap copies became less and less expensive, and the race to the bottom with price began.

These short lifespan, low-quality products fuel curb-side throwaways. Consumers have become indoctrinated to think ‘the cheaper, the better’ and are seduced by clickbait offers with no thought to environmental impact or the massive contribution to landfill. We call this ‘disposable decorating.’

By then, design theft had extended beyond iconic pieces.

Bestsellers by famous international designers and work by local Australian creatives became widely knocked off. Google, Instagram, and Pinterest made finding the cheapest-looking design products easily accessible with a few keyboard clicks, and the problem with design theft continued to mushroom.

The AUTHENTIC DESIGN ALLIANCE was established in 2010 as an industry association in response to the sea of cheaply made counterfeit furniture designs that began flooding the Australian market in the early 2000s.

Founded by furniture distributors Stylecraft, Cult, Living Edge, Euroluce, and Ke-zu, the group launched campaigns to educate design professionals about problems caused by substituting replica furniture and lighting designs. They also united to take legal action against replica retailers. Unfortunately, the estimated legal fees for a class action were extreme and not viable. So the focus remained on educating the interiors industry.

In 2012 Herman Miller tackled Matt Blatt legally for the use of the word replica, claiming it mislead customers to think the knockoffs were connected to the original creator or the licensed brand. The High Court of Australia ruled that the word replica can legally be used to delineate copies from the authentic product. And the knock-off industry boomed.

Legally anyone can use the designer’s name and leverage their reputation, including the product name to sell cheap copies of their own works.

ADA® members directly enable our ongoing work with Government agencies for IP reform; and help fund our national education program.

Discover more about ADA® membership here (or here if on mobile / device)

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