If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery why does it feel wrong?
The secret is that you've probably copied someone at one time or another. Be honest, we all do it. In country terms, China has an unenviable reputation for copying although they’re not alone. In the post-war Industrial Age, Japan was famous for taking Western designs and improving them. Even countries like Australia and the US are known to copy classical European architectural styles and we don’t seem to bat an eyelid.
So why do countries, businesses and people copy?
- To lessen risk – they want a guaranteed return on investment
- Proven model - it's much easier to get off to a running start
- Learning process – we learn through imitation
- Enhanced product - to make a better version of what already exists
Chinese copy cats
If copying were an Olympic sport then the Chinese would definitely win. The Chinese are known for copying everything from handbags, fashion, cars, architecture to Apple stores. Copying has a long tradition in China. The Chinese have used it as a way of learning, to show admiration and respect. However, not every country sees it that way. Despite pressure from the international community for China to do more to protect intellectual copyright in the country, it’s very hard to enforce intellectual property rights in China, as enforcing bodies are very weak.
Two prominent examples:
- In the Chinese city of Shenzhen, there exist more than 30 stores carrying the Apple look and feel even though Apple has only one official store and five authorised resellers. The copycat stores look so similar to the original that even the staff didn’t know they were working for a fake operator. Apparently the Apple products they sold were authentic though.
- A Chinese property developer copied the Austrian town of Hallstatt by replicating its look in the southern Chinese town of Boluo, Guangdong province. The Chinese developer sent a team of architects to Austria to photographically capture the town and then return to replicate it.
Creative copying
In creative circles, copying can often be confused for inspiration. Designers are frequently ‘inspired’ by other designers and sometimes the inspiration can be a bit close for comfort. It’s just worse when a large established design house takes an image from a grass roots designer and doesn’t pay for the benefit. It’s not only the top designers ripping off the small designers, but big high street brands like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Zara are known for repeatedly knocking off designs and prints from high end designers. Taking inspiration from past periods is a well known fashion practice too.
At design school I was taught to use nature as inspiration and when borrowing someone else’s print to use it in a new way to avoid any copyright issues.
Imitate to create
It’s hard to differentiate when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder and imitating what others are doing. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be inspired by others and learn from them. It’s essential. It’s just that if you slavishly design your brand and services around what others are doing you’ll be a ‘me-too’ operator. You won’t stand out.
However, if first you must copy to create, then go ahead and copy (but reference your source or pay them for their design). It’s always better to be creating than not doing anything. In spite of everything written above, even the Chinese are emerging as innovators. It might surprise you to learn that China is one of the world’s largest investors in research and development. So it goes to show that there's a benefit to copying if it’s part of an ongoing learning process and leads to future investment.
As consumers we can vote with our dollars to reward the businesses that create something new. In doing so we send a message that innovation is valued.
