Since 1977, Aktion Plagiarius e.V. has been awarding the dreaded "Schmäh-Preis" to manufacturers and retailers of particularly brazen plagiarisms and counterfeits. The award says nothing about whether a counterfeit product is legally permitted or illegal. The aim of the Plagiarius campaign is rather to raise public awareness of the questionable business methods of product and brand pirates and to sensitize industry, politics and consumers to the problem.

All the winners of the 2021 Plagiarius Awards - three main prizes and seven equally prestigious awards - in this picture gallery.

The trophy is a black dwarf with a golden nose. The latter symbolizes the immense profits that unimaginative imitators literally make at the expense of creative people and innovative companies. Before the annually changing jury selects the winners, the alleged plagiarists are informed of their nomination and given the opportunity to comment. The jury is not interested in branding legal competitor products. Rather, the intention is to focus on clumsy 1:1 imitations that deliberately look confusingly similar to the original product and have no creative or constructive merit of their own. Fortunately, numerous imitators have already sought an agreement with the original manufacturer for fear of being awarded the "Plagiarius" and have, for example, withdrawn remaining stocks of counterfeit products from the market, signed cease-and-desist declarations or disclosed their suppliers.

Rido Busse: His life's work and heartfelt project will be continued

The initiator of the "Plagiarius", Professor Rido Busse, died in February 2021 at the age of 86. As an industrial designer, Busse recognized early on that genuine innovation is crucial to the prosperity and competitiveness of an economy and that it is essential to promote and protect creative ideas and know-how. With optimism, foresight and drive, Rido Busse campaigned throughout his life for greater appreciation of creative achievements in society. And he has always encouraged designers, inventors and entrepreneurs to protect their intellectual property by registering industrial property rights (trademarks, patents, designs) and to hold imitators accountable. With "Plagiarius", Busse has launched an initiative that is more relevant than ever in times of globalization, digitalization and social media. He did not live to see the planned change in the Plagiarius board in March. However, he had deliberately chosen his successor himself: Peter Siebert, Managing Director of HANSI Siebert GmbH & Co KG. The new second chairperson is Dr. Aliki Busse, specialist attorney for industrial property rights, Busse & Partner.

Counterfeit goods are sold in all price and quality gradations: From dangerous cheap counterfeits to high-quality plagiarisms that are barely cheaper than the original product. However, counterfeits and fakes are often only deceptively similar to the original at first glance. Consumers should check products carefully and not be under the illusion that the same appearance automatically means the same quality, performance and, above all, safety. It is the (personal) responsibility of every consumer to consciously choose the original.

Copycats unabashedly copy products that are successfully established on the market. The concepts are different, but the damage for the brand manufacturers concerned remains the same. Some companies have their designers scour the trend stores and buy the most successful products as templates. The plagiarized products should look as similar as possible, but unimportant product details are deliberately changed in the hope of avoiding legal action. Other companies, e.g. from the UK (see current Plagiarius award winners), communicate their supposed "Robin Hood" strategy very openly: "We offer high-quality reproductions, manufactured to the same standards as the originals. Great design affordable for everyone". The "bargains" supplied are extremely inferior in terms of materials and workmanship and therefore not worth their cheap price.

More and more frequently, imitators come from the direct environment and specifically check the existence of industrial property rights for successful competitor products. If none are registered, third-party design and technology solutions are copied and sold as the company's own. This is confirmed by the experience of both the Plagiarius campaign and the VDMA industry association. According to the current "VDMA Product Piracy Report 2020", counterfeit products are often commissioned or sold by competitors or former business partners - suppliers, production or sales partners. In the VDMA report, China was the No. 1 country of origin for counterfeits at 61%. Nevertheless, Germany once again followed in second place with 19% - new in third place with 12%: Russia. According to a study by the OECD and EUIPO, global trade in counterfeit goods amounted to EUR 460 billion in 2016, i.e. around 3.3% of global trade.

In its unique exhibition, the Museum Plagiarius shows more than 350 Plagiarius award winners from a wide range of industries - the original and the plagiarized product in direct comparison. The 2021 award winners will also be on display at short notice. The exact date will be announced at museum-plagiarius.de, taking into account the current corona regulations.

In this picture gallery you will find all the "prize winners" as well as comparisons of the original and the copy.