DIAlogues 2013 has been completely reinvented into a brand new Question and Answer Forum featuring a hot topic, audience questions, specialist guest panelists and moderator. This is a great opportunity to open up Dialogue surrounding often difficult and controversial issues facing our design profession, cutting deep to the hard issues, really interrogating them, in order for us to design better solutions. Hot Topic: Authentic Design/Intellectual Property Authentic - of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine; made or done in the traditional or original way. (Oxford Dictionary, 2013) Much of the design industry is faced by Authentic Design and Intellectual Property issues on a daily basis. Hence it seems too fitting to address this topic in our third DIAlogues Interrogation Forum. Supporting authentic design means to acknowledge and respect the Intellectual Property of designers. One side of the argument states that supporting original design will assist in maintaining our industry's design heritage and ensuring the future of our creative work. It also guarantees better control in areas such as fair working conditions in manufacture as well as minimising the environmental footprint. Furthermore, original design is seen as an investment, gaining in value over time, while replicas become valueless. On the other side of the argument, replicas are seen to make design accessible to people who wouldn't normally be able to afford it. We question the effects of authentic design on a global scale and address the cultural, social and legal aspects in the authentic design and Intellectual Property debate. As designers and to be the best at what we do, we must question at which point the barrier between 'inspiration' and 'reproduction' lies. How we can protect our own Intellectual Property and what are the legal loopholes that allow for design to be reproduced? Is it a compliment to be copied? What role does open source design play in the Intellectual Property debate? Our passionate expertise panellists will cut down to the core of these issues in what will be a cracker of a discussion. Moderator: Mark McDean | Lecturer in Communication Design & Lecturer in Branded Fashion Panelists: Andrew Shapiro | Managing Director, Shapiro Auctioneers John Kenny | Solicitor, Kenny & Co Solicitors Björn Rust | Designer Elliott Bledsoe | Freelance digital and social consultant Richard Munao | Managing Director, Corporate Culture & Founder, Authentic Design Alliance Paul van Barneveld | National President, Australian Graphic Design Association

• published: 17 Sep 2013
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