Thank you to my friend Melissa for posting these posts for me...
I found this really interesting article about breaches in intellectual property rights in the UK recently...
A couple of months ago I was shopping on a Saturday morning
at my local shopping centre when I saw a long line of mums, dad and children. I
asked one of the mums why she was waiting in the line with her children. The
mum replied they were waiting for the appearance of Peppa Pig. This was my
first introduction to Peppa Pig one of the latest preschool animated character
sensations created, directed and produced by Astely Baker Davies. Who was Peppa
Pig and why was she so popular?
Wikipedia (2014) states Peppa Pig is “a 5 minute television show that revolves around
Peppa, an anthropomorphic female pig, and her family and friends. Each of her
friends is a different species of mammal. Peppa's friends are the same age as
she, and Peppa's younger brother George's friends are the same age as him.
Episodes tend to feature everyday activities such as attending playgroup, going
swimming, visiting their grandparents, cousins, going to the playground, or
riding bikes”.
A couple of days ago social media was alive with the news a
Peppa Pig costume made in China was detained in British customs and destroyed
because it violated intellectual property rights. The costume had been
purchased by a fundraising manager so Peppa Pig could make an appearance at a
local summer fair for children. The official Peppa Pig costume available in the
UK was more expensive than others, so the organiser bought a cheaper one on
EBay. EBay refunded the money. The situation caused a problem for event’s
organiser as it was advertised Peppa Pig was coming and the children would be
disappointed.
Wikipedia (2014) describes
Peppa Pig merchandise and licenses. “Peppa
Pig, the Entertainment One (eOne) brand, grossed over £200 million in UK
merchandise sales in 2010, far exceeding the 2009 figure of £100 million.
Additionally, for the first time in the brand’s history, NPD figures for the
year reveal that Peppa Pig was the number one pre-school property in the total
toy market for 2010 – moving up four places from its previous position in 2009.
Now in its seventh year, new licensees continue to join the Peppa Pig licensing
programme, which currently has 63 licensees on board.
In addition to episode DVDs, a variety of licensed
Peppa Pig products is available, including video games and other toys such as
playsets, playing cards, vehicles, and stuffed toys. There is also a series of
books based on the character, one of which, Peppa Meets the Queen was written
to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The line has also been expanded
to include household items such as bathroom products, bed-linens, food, drink,
clothing, and jewellery. Licensees include Holland Publishing in the United Kingdom”.
Peppa Pig grossed a lot of money for its creators and
licensed merchandised holders.Disappointed children or not and a license is a
license and if a company that produces costumes in China doesn’t have a license
to reproduce and export goods, then really they shouldn’t be allowed into the
UK and other places. It is also buyer beware online. There is always the chance
of a problem arising when consumers buy things online from a country which
produces goods at a cheaper rate for example intellectual property rights
breaches and piracy. However, in these circumstances the importers using EBay
refunded the money. I would have thought that a range of legal Peppa Pig
costumes available for lease for charitable organisations would be good
publicity for the creators of Peppa Pig.
References
Wikipedia (2014). Peppa
Pig.
Peppa Pig detained at customs in www.independent.co.uk by Christopher Hooton June 16 2014.
(no copyright infringement intended on Peppa Pig image)
