As part of the Furniture Makers’ Company (FMC) annual Young Professional Industry Experience (YPIE) for budding leaders, six young professionals once again joined Anti Copying In Design (ACID) for a briefing on all things intellectual property (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), led by ACID Co-founder, Chair and Past Master of the Furniture Makers’, Dids Macdonald OBE, and ACID CEO Laura Newbold Breen.

During the afternoon delegates learned why IP matters; how it protects creativity, innovation, and provides competitive advantage, ensuring designers can capture value from their ideas. They were reminded that IP includes copyright, trade marks, patents and design rights; all of which can safeguard original work and brand identity. Discussions focussed on why AI is challenging IP by enabling rapid content generation, remixing and replication, making ownership and attribution harder to enforce.

Case study examples were shared on the importance of IP protection, which requires clear documentation, registrations, monitoring, contracts, and proactive enforcement. Those present were reminded that ACID has, by education and awareness, strengthened these efforts by detecting imitation, discouraging infringement, preserving authenticity, supporting compliance, reducing risk and helping businesses maintain differentiation, reputation and market position.

The FMC YPIE programme provides aspiring young people working in the industry with a unique opportunity to visit sector leading companies and understand all areas of the wider trade, including materials, designing, manufacturing, pricing, marketing, sales and customer service.

It is aimed at young professionals, with three years or less experience in the industry, who have shown promise and would benefit from the opportunity of gaining a 360-degree perspective of the entire trade.

Laura Newbold Breen, ACID CEO said, “The YPIE initiative always brings together a fantastic and eclectic group of individuals, either on their own career path in the sector or representing established brands. Regardless of background, IP is an essential element to their experience and it is a pleasure to be part of their YPIE journey”.

Dids Macdonald OBE, Pas Master of the Furniture Makers and Co-founder of ACID said, “With representatives of such iconic brands around the table including Miller Knoll, Hypnos Beds, Benson for Beds, Sleepeezee, Source by Net and a bespoke furniture maker, Fynlay Duncan all agreed how important design and brand protection is to their company. Interestingly, when asked about the use of AI, without exception, all were sceptical and cautious in their approach, emphasising the importance of human ingenuity through learned skills”.

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