Row brews over Asda teacup pin that looks like designer’s
IT is a cute piece of designer jewellery which bears the motto ‘A Cup Of Tea Solves Everything’.
But it might take more than a natter over the nation’s favourite hot drink to sort out a copyright row that is brewing between a Scots designer and a leading supermarket.
Nikki McWilliams has accused Asda of replicating her jewellery after the chain released an enamel jacket pin bearing striking similarities to one of her accessories.
Miss McWilliams created her first range of £7.50 pins last year but after launching the designs through her website, she was contacted by a friend last month who had spotted a remarkably similar £2 pin sold through Asda’s clothing brand George. The supermarket’s version boasted a similar shape, colour and the almost identical slogan ‘Tea Solves Everything’.
Miss McWilliams, 32, whose designs have featured in Vogue, told The Times that when she contacted the retailer via Twitter she was told there was no one available who could handle her complaint.
After sending a letter to Asda’s head office she reportedly received a message from the customer services team confirming that her correspondence was being processed by its legal department. She is yet to receive a response to her initial concerns.
‘It’s frustrating when things like this happen to small businesses,’ Miss McWilliams, a graduate of fine art from Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, said.
‘I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some big companies who are happy to support us as an independent business, which can be mutually beneficial.
‘I would have been happy to work with the Asda design team on some products if they had asked.’
A tweet she posted showing the two pins side by side has been shared more than 270 times and drawn many sympathetic responses.
‘It was heartening to see that so many people agreed it was frustrating,’ added the designer, from Alloa, Clackmannanshire, whose merchandise is stocked in Selfridges, Paperchase and Fortnum & Mason.
Chris Hunt, founder of Scotland Re: Designed, dedicated to promoting the country’s creative talent to a global audience, said: ‘This sort of thing is so damaging to Scottish designers’ researched creations and, of course, in lost sales.’
Asda said the design ‘was brought in by a supplier’. It is understood the pin will not be withdrawn from shelves while Miss McWilliams’s claims are being investigated.
An Asda spokesman said: ‘We are currently looking into this matter and will remain in contact with Miss McWilliams to update on our findings.’