Natco payout settles Weave claim
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 6, 2005
Hackensack, N.J. — Fabric designer and weaver Weave Corp. said it has received payment from Natco Products to settle Weave's claim of infringement against its pattern U12003.
Natco, a Providence, R.I.-based manufacturer of home fashions, admitted that a decorative pillow it imported from China included an illegal copy of the Weave pattern.
Natco said it selected the pillow from a vendor's offering and was unaware the fabric was a copy.
Weave President Roger Berkley declined to disclose the amount of the settlement.
"The point here is that anyone purchasing product has the obligation to do at least some minimal due diligence to ensure that no intellectual property theft has occurred," Berkley said. "This is particularly true in light of the large numbers of intellectual property thefts by unscrupulous Chinese vendors that have happened or been alleged by U.S. companies."
"Since Chinese copyright laws are effectively a joke, we have opted to hold their customers liable, thereby increasing the cost of doing business with dishonest suppliers," he said.
Natco payout settles Weave claim
03/10/2005U.S. fabric brands skip European shows
09/14/2008Copyright under fire
06/17/2006
