The January Furniture Show is the catalyst for showcasing the best of new furniture designs from the world’s leading brands. Design & brand protection are paramount for any successful business in this sector and exhibiting for the first time will be the UK’s leading IP and Design organisation, ACID (Anti Copying in Design) in Hall 2 on stand F15, to support all exhibitors. 2016 sees the January Furniture Show appointed as an ACID Accredited Exhibition.

ACID Exhibition Accreditation is awarded to those exhibition organisers who support the aims and objectives of ACID and all their exhibitors, with a declared zero tolerance of IP infringement. Positively, ACID is present to give IP advice to all exhibitors and visitors on aspects of a proactive IP strategy. In the unlikely event of an infringement being discovered, ACID will offer a mediation protocol as an alternative to litigation for all exhibitors. Having carried out approximately 3500 grass roots mediations to date, ACID’s non-confrontational approach to complaint handling, in the majority of cases, can help parties find cost and time effective solutions and settlements.

Dids Macdonald OBE, ACID’s CEO, says: “It is great news that The January Furniture Show is now ACID Accredited. This demonstrates their real commitment to building and developing ethical values regarding original design. Between 2009 and 2013, the design economy GVA grew by 28% - a faster rate than the UK economy (18%). In a market often swamped by cheap lookalikes and copies, it is no surprise that excellence in design is increasingly being seen as a market differentiator in this sector; its protection is paramount.”

This article was published on fastcodesign.com