Welcome to our Q&A session with MijMoj Design, where we delve into their journey as they join Anti Copying In Design to safeguard their intellectual property (IP). MijMoj design and create handcrafted wooden gifts with skilled craftsmanship.

With interesting and innovative designs they are taking a proactive step to protect their unique creations from imitation. With roots deeply embedded in originality and creativity, they’re setting a precedent in the design industry.

Getting off to ACID membership with a running start, they have already started lodging designs on the ACID IP Databank and using the ACID logo on their website as a strong deterrent to would be copyists.

Join us as we explore their motivations, challenges, and aspirations in this crucial endeavour to uphold the integrity of their artistic vision. Let’s dive in and uncover the story behind their commitment to protecting their IP.

When and why did you first start creating your designs?

From a very young age, I made my first Welsh dresser when I was 12, designing has always been a passion. But commercially I have been working in design since graduation in 2001 and for MijMoj since 2006.

Did you have any knowledge of IP when you started your business?

Yes, having worked as a ‘Design Advisor’ in a previous role I had a core understanding of IP and its value.

Have you ever had any IP issues or infringements? How did you deal with it? Also what was the effect on yourself and your business?

Unfortunately YES, we are fighting an almost constant weekly battle with our designs being copied. Product descriptions and our images are being used without our consent. Or modified, which is very frustrating, time consuming as well as detrimental to our business financially. We have in most instances been able to resolve the issue by proving ‘prior art’ and explaining to the guilty party they are in fact infringing our IP so have been able to resolve amicably.

Have you brought anything new to the marketplace recently that you would like to share?

Our sofa coaster phone stand was recently launched and has proven very popular with our customers. Beautifully simple but exceptionally practical, we couldn’t be without ours on the end of our sofa arm to prevent spills and splashes from cups of tea!

What is the best aspect of ACID Membership for your business?

We find having the design databank a vital asset to recoding and date stamping our designs with a third-party independent body so, when an issue does arise, we have a record to prove when our designs were created.

What advice would you offer to a new designer?

Take inspiration from other designs but be mindful not to copy others work. Although having your designs copied is frustrating, do not allow it to consume your life and prevent you from designing and moving forward. Join ACID, lodge your designs.

ACID values the support of its members to enable it to campaign for design law reform. Do you have any messages for Government/Policy Makers on IP issues?

IP infringement from far east entities seems to be a growing trend from our experience. Having a way to protect original IP and help remove infringing material quickly and without needing to spend enormous amounts on legal advice would be beneficial to small UK business who do not have the resources to fight this on their own.

MijMoj

www.mijmoj.co.uk

Have you signed the ACID IP Charter? It’s free to sign and helps us to have a wide variety of names to add to our campaigns for IP law reform. You also get a free logo which you can use to demonstrate you stand strong for respect, ethics and compliance in design.