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News article2 May 2022

Most Brazen Plagiarism Cases of the Year: "Plagiarius" Prize Winners 2022 Announced

Product piracy is a major problem for brand manufacturers. With its negative award, the association "Aktion Plagiarius" spotlights particularly brazen cases from copied branded shirts to designer cutlery. The Plagiarius Competition  takes place annually under the motto "name and shame". This year, the jury of industry and media representatives awarded three main prizes, one special award and four peer awards.

The first prize of 2022 was awarded to an inferior copy of an award-winning cutlery set by the German manufacturer Koziol. An Australian publishing house had copied the design cheaply in China. According to the jury's verdict, the material of the pirated cutlery set deformed very quickly, revealing its inferior quality. Further prizes were awarded to a pirated pressure gauge, a ball bearing and a men's shirt, among other items.

The first Plagiarius Award was initiated by German industrial designer Rido Busse in 1977. He came up with the idea of anti-prizing when he discovered that he was facing plagiarism himself. A supplier in Hong Kong imitated the weighing scale that was designed by Busse specifically for German company Soehnle-Waagen.

With the Plagiarius Award, association "Aktion Plagiarius" aims to raise public awareness, protect creative achievements and inventions by denouncing the counterfeiters who infringe intellectual property rights.

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Publication date
2 May 2022