Brand owners call for earlier adoption of copyright law

Brand owners have joined forces to lobby the UK government to implement a delayed provision extending protection for copyright-protected designs.

A group, including design companies Vitra, Artek and Flos, claims the delay is "undermining the UK design industry” and “flooding the market” with illegitimate and poor-quality replicas.

The group was formed after the UK government announced it would not be implementing the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 until 2018.

The act contains a provision that would see copyright protection for industrially manufactured artistic works extended from 25 years to the life of the creator plus a further 70 years, in order to bring it into line with EU law.

Tony Ash, managing director of design company Vitra in the UK, US, India, Middle East and Far East, told architecture and design magazine Dezeen that it “beggared belief” that designers were still subject to regulations a year after the law had been changed.

He added: "We now have regulations that bring us into line with the rest of Europe. It's high time these were enforced and we urge the government to expedite this process.

“A drawn out transition undermines the UK design industry and only benefits overseas manufacturers who are importing these products, defrauding designers and ripping off the public."

The consultation report, launched by the UK Intellectual Property Office, outlined three options for a transition timeframe: six months, three years or five years, all from April 2015, with three years its preferred choice.

The government said that it wants to implement the change in law with a “fair and proportionate” transition period.