We have never misappropriated any client or employer designs for any reason. Nor do we have any involvement in the patent infringement lawsuit between Whalen Furniture and Z-Line. Despite a combined portfolio of more than two dozen issued and pending patents, neither of us holds any patents for TV stands.
Our design philosophy and our work focuses on Genderblending™ all our products – appealing to female consumers, who make the majority of American product buying decisions, without alienating men. As a result, we have no need to borrow old designs, particularly those targeted specifically to male consumers.
Still, intellectual property rights and the nuances of design ownership remain a complex and evolving legal landscape. As we mentioned in a recent three-part blog post, Digital Portfolio/Resume Landmines, no company wants to hire a designer without ever seeing a portfolio of past work. At the same time, employers and clients are naturally cautious about allowing designers to use work in their portfolios. Designing in today’s world, we face a host of legal questions in our effort to continue to work and fairly compete in our chosen field. We take great care to protect proprietary information, designs and intellectual property on behalf of our clients. If we didn’t, we would not have worked as designers continually for the past twenty years. We continue to stand behind the authenticity and originality of our work, and guarantee that integrity to our clients.
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