A well-known coffee shop... Answer returned to complaint of 'design theft'

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Controversy is brewing after it was revealed that a large coffee chain store sold cups that copied the design of a famous artist.

Even though the author sued, they continued to sell it.

Reporter Kim Ji-wook will first look at the coverage and then continue the story.

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A Twosome Place store in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do.

Cups with two convex tiers in the middle are placed on the display stand.

It is a cup that is being sold at Twosome as a Christmas event product, and it is almost similar to the 'Bubble Cup' design that Namkwon Yu, a lacquer artist, registered for a patent in 2019.

Earlier this month, Mr. Yoo found out that these cups were sold through an acquaintance.

[Yoo Nam-kwon/Artist of lacquer lacquer: An acquaintance sent me the picture now, and did you do it with Twosome?] When I

sent a content certificate about using the design without permission, 'Twosome' sent the answer. It was not a supplier.

He admitted to stealing the design, but appealed to sell even 3,500 sets already made.

[Yoo Nam-kwon/lacquer writer: I only got a call from an agency...

I know it violated the design law, but since they have (already) made it, they came to ask me to sell it, does this make sense...

.]

I bought the cup myself, but the store still sells the cup even though the author requested to stop selling it.

Twosome announced that they would stop shipping after finding out the details only after the coverage began.

Experts say that even if the subcontractor has the primary responsibility for reviewing the product, the Twosome side cannot be free from responsibility as it sold the product with the logo attached.

[Park Joo-hee/Attorney: It seems that the fact that they are continuing to sell even after receiving proof of the contents of the request to stop selling seems to be a bit of an intentional infringement of design rights.]

Mr. Yoo filed a complaint against A Twosome Place to the police.

[Yoo Nam-kwon/Artist of lacquer lacquer: Wearing a Twosome Place logo and going out as their own brand, I think it's such an irresponsible act.]

(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, Video editing: Kim Jun-hee)

--- Kim

Ji-wook, who covered this in

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The reporter is with me.

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: In the past, individuals imitated a lot of corporate products, but these days, like the bubble cup you saw earlier, the opposite cases are rapidly increasing.

Let's listen to a designer's story together.]

[Yang Da-som/Small Stuff CEO: (Our product) was copied and launched on a funding platform.

I learned that I was a designer from a large company, and I feel like my efforts were really thrown in the trash.]

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: This year alone, the technical police launched an investigation into 290 cases due to patent and design rights disputes, and this number is increasing every year.]

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: It's actually a lot of burden to decide on a long and long trial.

Therefore, the most realistic way is to use the dispute mediation committee of the Intellectual Property Protection Agency or the mediation system of the Copyright Commission.

But fundamentally, companies need a responsible attitude.]

[Lee Yong-min/Lawyer: In the case where a design is adopted, consumers actually buy the company's product, and the company goes through at least a minimum screening stage...

.]

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: We also need to change our perception of individual creations and copyrights.]

(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, Video editing: Kim Jun-hee)