DesignMENA 2017 Brand Creative Focus 'Copyright Infringement'

  This month, the DesignMENA Summit 2017 addressed the topic of Copyright Infringement - the reproduction or copy of work without permission. During the Summit, Victor Siriani, legal expert and the managing partner of AVID Intellectual property shared his professional insights on the topic ‘Understanding Intellectual Property & your Rights’ with moderator Robert Wilcock, Editorial Director at ITP.

“A copyright is an exclusionary right. It conveys to its owner the right to prevent others from copying, selling, performing, displaying, or making derivative versions of a work of authorship. Copyright law protects a variety of original expressions, including art, sculpture, literature, music, songs, choreography, crafts, poetry, software, photography, movies, video games, videos, websites, architecture, and graphics.”  AVID Intellectual Property

Victor provided a simple and clear example of the above definition; The second you draw something on a wall, copyright law applies to it, which means if one was to copy your drawing in any other part of the world, infringement has taken place. The topic is covered in more depth in the December issue of CID Magazine, where the results of a survey indicate that a large majority of interior designers in Dubai have been victim of copyright negligence.

Unfortunately, duplication is a malpractice commonly witnessed in design in the UAE and globally. Making copies of another designer’s work may seem to some like a viable option for its convenience but it can come with heavy ethical and legal implications. For interior design, a trade license can be issued to protect your designs from being copied. However, for industrial design one must issue a trademark license which protects your designs for up to 10 years in the Middle East.

Being a recent graduate of interior design in Dubai, it is extremely useful to learn about such an important topic so early on in my career so that I will be able to work with integrity throughout my practice. As professional interior and graphic designers, it is our duty to not only protect our efforts and hard work, but also acknowledge and honor the accomplishments of our peers and the companies we work for.

By Devanshi Jakhiya, Brand Creative Dubai Design Intern

  Images from: Commercial Interior Design Magazine December  Vol. 13 Issue 12 DesignMENA Summit 2017 Gallery