Each year, the Aktion Plagiarius society awards the most shameless forgeries and imitations of products. In 2018, ten products were awarded with the negative prize.
The trade of plagiarised and fake products is extremely lucrative. The offenders are comprised of unimaginative competitors, unscrupulous vendors, and at its most extreme, organised crime. Apart from the Internet and digital communication, gullible bargain-hunters and an insufficient penalisation of the offenders ensure the rampant spread of this problem. As the damages for the brand name producers and the safety risks for consumers are immense, a sensitisation of the consumer world as well as more drastic measures against manufacturers and distributors of counterfeits are crucial.
On February 09, 2018 the negative award “Plagiarius” — created by designer Prof. Rido Busse — was bestowed at a press conference during the annual “Ambiente” in Frankfurt, one of the largest consumer goods trade fairs. Since 1977, Aktion Plagiarius e.V. grants this anti-prize to manufacturers and distributors of the most flagrant plagiarisms and counterfeits.
The goal is to denounce the unscrupulous business practices of counterfeiters who pilfer intellectual property and pass it off as their own creative achievement. The society also want to raise public awareness of this complex problem that concerns industry, consumers and politicians. Likewise, the perception of the significance and effectiveness of intellectual property rights, and equally the appreciation for creative accomplishments should be enhanced. It is a principal concern for Aktion Plagiarius to bring the uniqueness of an original product home to entrepreneurs and private persons. Aktion Plagiarius also wants to make clear that the process from ideation to a market-ready product is time-consuming, costly and requires innovative energy.
These were the winners of the Plagiarius Award in 2017:
