Ikea product copying lawsuit has been filed against Swedish retailer Biltema, accusing the company of duplicating two of Ikea’s popular products. The legal claim demands one million dollars in compensation and aims to protect Ikea’s original designs from unauthorized copying.
Inter Ikea Systems, the company responsible for managing the Ikea brand and concept, has filed the complaint. The lawsuit claims Biltema infringed Ikea’s copyright by selling products that are near-identical copies of the Försiktig step stool and the IKEA PS 2002 water jug.
According to Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet, citing the legal journal Dagens Juridik, Ikea sent multiple warnings to Biltema earlier in the spring asking them to stop selling the disputed items. Despite these warnings, the products remained available for purchase for some time.
Biltema has since removed the contested products from their website following the lawsuit.
Ikea’s complaint describes the Biltema products as unauthorized copies that take advantage of Ikea’s brand reputation and the familiarity consumers have with Ikea’s original designs. The company is seeking a court order to halt Biltema from producing, storing, marketing, or selling these products. In addition, Ikea requests that all existing stock of the items be destroyed.
Both Ikea and Biltema are Swedish companies.
Interestingly, Ikea itself has faced similar accusations. Earlier this year, Swedish designer Jessica Signell accused Ikea of copying her 2005 design for a small table called Eve. Ikea responded by emphasizing the importance of product design in its business model and stated it strives to avoid using designs from other creators without permission.
