During Balenciaga’s spring show, all of a sudden an oversized bag is shown on the catwalk which very much resembles the famous cobalt blue Ikea bag, designed by Marianne and Knut Hagberg. However, the shown bag is made of leather and has a zipper. Apart from that, the bag only costs 2.145 dollars. Ikea could invoke its copyrights on the design (which apparently has not been registered as a design right). The shape of common day to day products are protected by copyright, if they can be considered as intellectual creations, where the designer made personal choices. So legal action is possible in this case, but is it the smart thing to do?
Ikea chooses another path, humour. In our opinion, a brilliant move that goes viral and gains overall sympathy among the public. The Swedish marketing company ACNE came with the idea of an online action: the four best tips how to reveal the original Ikea bag (among others of course the price, the original costs only 0,99 dollars)
A legal action might be tempting in case of infringement, but a humorous reaction might be a better alternative. Especially if the targeted audience is completely different, or in the case of social media expressions. When the positive and funny reaction goes viral, more goodwill and advantages will be gained for the company than by a lawsuit. (Source image: ACNE website.)
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