If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, then this paper should feel extremely flattered.
Local company Koan Design’s (宇寬設計) new “Rain Times” tote has the design of the Taipei Times’ layout printed on the front, back and inside of the bag.
At first glance, the bag’s design is almost an exact copy of this paper’s front page. The most apparent difference is that the name of the newspaper on the bag is the “Rain Times.”
PHOTO: CATHERINE SHU, TAIPEI TIMES
Koan Design said the name “Rain Times” was chosen by designer Bruce Chan (陳盈守), who got the idea when he saw people using newspapers to shield themselves from rain. The waterproof tote is designed to be used as a normal bag, but can be opened up to expand to the size of a newspaper page and held over the head.
But does imitation cross the copyright line?
Lee Chih-an (李治安), a professor at National Chengchi University’s Institute of Intellectual Property, said copyright infringement would depend on the originality of the design.
“If the bag is designed so that the average consumer might confuse it with the newspaper or mistakenly think that it is in some way related to the news company, such as the tote being a complimentary gift that comes with a newspaper subscription, then the outcome of any lawsuit might be favorable,” Lee said.
Chan said that while he came up with the creative concept behind the bag, the newspaper layout was designed by a group of colleagues who looked at “many different newspapers.”
Kuo Yao-huang (郭耀煌), president of Koan Design, apologized to the Taipei Times.
“We will immediately recall the bags from retailers and produce a new design of the bag within two weeks,” he said.
Amber Chang, special assistant to the Taipei Times’ president, said she was not surprised by the imitation because the paper has won numerous awards for its design. However, she said the paper regretted the striking resemblance, coupled with Koan’s decision to sell the bags, without first contacting the paper.
“We are glad to hear that [Koan] has apologized for the incident, but we will continue to observe whether the company carries out the redesign as promised,” she said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS