B&M Copyright Legal Campaign
Donation protected
I am the founder of Elf for Christmas, a magical children’s Christmas toy & reward kit, that I designed myself after being inspired by my own children, Holly, 5, and Finley, 3.
My business is entering its third year and I have worked hard to create a brand that has won toy awards, sold very successfully and is now exported to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This business is my sole income, my full time job and something I have devoted years of time and attention to, while raising my young family.
It came to my attention in September 2017 that UK chain store B&M were selling a product, exclusive to them, that was strikingly similar to my core product – my Elf & Magical Reward Kit.
Their product, while of lower quality, has many striking similarities across the whole kit and packaging, including the design and almost identical wording of the magical reward kit, which has led to confusion in the market place with customers believing the cheaper product in B&M is my original product - which it isn’t.
It’s unfair that large businesses think this form of IP theft is acceptable behaviour and the majority of the time, the small business and original designer can’t afford to do anything about it. Legal action usually runs to tens of thousands of pounds – a financial burden that could potentially cripple a sole trader like myself. Which is exactly why certain big businesses get away with it time and time again.
As a small business, it’s incredibly hard to do anything about this situation. I have started legal proceedings against B&M and so far this has run to significant costs. I firmly believe I have a strong case against B&M and I intend to take further action, until this is resolved fairly.
If small businesses can stick together, we can make a change and I would appreciate any support, no matter how small.
Should we be successful in our case against B&M (which we think is highly likely), our legal fees will reduce, and in this situation all of the surplus funds raised through this campaign will publicly be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a very worthy charity cause focused on improving the access to care and research for MND.
Thank you for reading and wish me luck!
Sarah
My business is entering its third year and I have worked hard to create a brand that has won toy awards, sold very successfully and is now exported to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This business is my sole income, my full time job and something I have devoted years of time and attention to, while raising my young family.
It came to my attention in September 2017 that UK chain store B&M were selling a product, exclusive to them, that was strikingly similar to my core product – my Elf & Magical Reward Kit.
Their product, while of lower quality, has many striking similarities across the whole kit and packaging, including the design and almost identical wording of the magical reward kit, which has led to confusion in the market place with customers believing the cheaper product in B&M is my original product - which it isn’t.
It’s unfair that large businesses think this form of IP theft is acceptable behaviour and the majority of the time, the small business and original designer can’t afford to do anything about it. Legal action usually runs to tens of thousands of pounds – a financial burden that could potentially cripple a sole trader like myself. Which is exactly why certain big businesses get away with it time and time again.
As a small business, it’s incredibly hard to do anything about this situation. I have started legal proceedings against B&M and so far this has run to significant costs. I firmly believe I have a strong case against B&M and I intend to take further action, until this is resolved fairly.
If small businesses can stick together, we can make a change and I would appreciate any support, no matter how small.
Should we be successful in our case against B&M (which we think is highly likely), our legal fees will reduce, and in this situation all of the surplus funds raised through this campaign will publicly be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a very worthy charity cause focused on improving the access to care and research for MND.
Thank you for reading and wish me luck!
Sarah
Organizer
Sarah Greenwell
Organizer
