Since 1977 Aktion Plagiarius e.V. annually grants the negative award "Plagiarius" to those manufacturers and distributors whom the jury has found guilty of making or selling "the most flagrant" (design) imitations. Goal is to denounce the unscrupulous business practices of counterfeiters, who pilfer intellectual property and pass it off as their own creative achievement. Also we would like to shed light on and call attention to the injustice and the problems of enterprises affected by imitations. Since decades, Aktion Plagiarius contributes to a large extent to raising the public awareness and sensitising the industry, politicians and the consumers.
The trophy of the black gnome with the golden nose is a symbol for the exorbitant earnings product pirates collect at the cost of innovative companies. This gnome was created to express the German aphorism "to earn oneself a golden nose" meaning to earn a lot of money.
- Information and sensitisation of the public concerning extent, damages and dangers incurred by plagiarisms and fakes
- Mouthpiece and information point for entrepreneurs and designers affected by counterfeits
- Raising the awareness of the significance of IPR - Intellectual Property Rights
- Raising the appreciation of creative achievements and innovations
- Deterrence of counterfeiters ("name and shame")
- Annual Plagiarius-Competition - Negative award against theft of ideas
- Communications / public relations
- Hands-on lectures about the problem of counterfeiting
- Seminars / workshops / consumer events
- Plagiarius-Exhibition "Original vs. Counterfeit" - bookable on an individual basis
- Permanent exhibition in the Museum Plagiarius in Solingen (Germany)
- Advice and support for designers / companies affected
- www.designpublisher.com - online-platform for an evident publication of new designs
