A York designer has lost around £100,000 of business due to her work being stolen and cheaply distributed on internet e-commerce sites.
York Central MP, Rachael Maskell, has now called on the government to update the law to ensure that online retailers are held to account.
Amanda and Frank Mountain are a husband-and-wife team who run Lola Design Ltd, a small business in York that sells products domestically and internationally.
Their business employs local staff, freelancers, and suppliers, and relies on the integrity of the designs for their livelihood.
Amanda is the artist behind the business, producing original paintings which are then scanned onto stationery and greeting cards for sale through shops and online.
The pair have sadly faced multiple occurrences where their designs, some of which take multiple hours to create, have been copied and mass-produced.
The internet low-cost e-commerce sites Shein and Temu were the main perpetrators.
The sites import low-cost copies to countries across the globe, from their manufacturers in China where very few regulations are in place.
Raised in the House
Amanda and Frank went to see Ms Maskell to raise their concerns, and express their frustration at losing thousands of pounds worth of business.
On behalf of her constituents, Ms Maskell put forward these concerns in Parliament.
She told Chris Bryant, creative industries minister that “Temu and Shein are ripping off her work, and many artists’ work, in breach of intellectual property controls.
“What steps will the Minister take to protect artists and their businesses, and ensure that online retailers are held to account?”
In response, Chris Bryant said: “Copyright and the protection of artists’ moral and economic rights is an absolutely essential part of ensuring that they are properly remunerated for their creativity. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the copyright regime remains, is strong, and is strongly enforced.”
Amanda revealed that seeing her designs stolen and mass-produced by unethical companies is devastating not only for their business, but for the integrity of creative industries everywhere.
She said, “As an artist, my work is not just a product; it’s a piece of me, hours of passion, skill, and dedication. We’ve lost over £100,000 to these unethical practices, and every time we take action, the stolen designs just reappear.
“We need the government to step in and ensure UK businesses like ours are protected. This isn’t just about our livelihood, it’s about standing up for originality, fairness, and the value of creativity.”
Ms Maskell calls for the government to ensure that tougher safeguards are in place to protect businesses like Lola Design.
Ms Maskell said, “Amanda has lost around £100,000 of business due to this including £24,000 on just one design.
“She has told me that she has made claims against Temu with details of her intellectual property and artwork. The fake products are taken down from the website, only to appear a few weeks later.
“This is happening on an industrial scale. Apart from artists losing significant income, this will also be reflected with income loss to the Treasury.
“If there are shortfalls in the Budget this then affects every single one of us. This theft has to stop, and I want the government to step in to help my constituents and the many others like them who are having their work stolen in this way.”
What Temu says
Temu says it takes the protection of intellectual property rights very seriously. While all the product listings on its website are created and managed by independent merchants, it conducts a “thorough vetting procedure” before sellers can upload any items.
A Temu spokesperson said: “Before setting up their stores and listing products, every seller has to sign an agreement.
“This document stands as a pledge to maintain lawful and compliant business operations, protect consumers’ legal rights and intellectual property, and adhere strictly to the legal standards and regulations of their specific markets.
“When we receive reports of infringement, we promptly investigate each case and take appropriate action. Temu has strict policies against sellers who infringe on intellectual property rights.
“Actions we take may include the immediate removal of infringing listings, suspension of listing privileges, and account termination. For sellers who act maliciously or in bad faith, such as repeat infringers, we may impose multiple sanctions, including, but not limited to, account suspension or termination.
“Within Temu, we’ve set up a specialised system dedicated to the protection of intellectual property rights and an associated reporting structure. These systems act as swift, responsive mechanisms to address any intellectual property infringement claims made by rights holders or consumers.
“We take immediate and robust actions to rectify any such issues.”
Temu said it has ” had removed all the products flagged by Lola Design through the Temu IP protection portal. We have also incorporated the relevant works from Lola Design to our database for proactive monitoring.”