Lessons from the year of WW.
1 year ago today I found out Woolworths had copied my carrier. The amount of anxiety, anger and rage I was feeling on that day is really quite indescribable. I had no idea how I would turn the situation around and make it work in my favour, but I also knew there was a way and that this was an…
How I went viral.
She had the perfect storm. The features that were taken, the company who took them – while promoting responsible sourcing, the safety features for infants. It was the perfect storm from every angle, you can’t replicate that afterwards. Andrew Papadopoulos, KISCH IP on The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield (ffwd to 60 mins in to listen) The same thing has…
Ask me one more time why I didn’t have a patent…
Can we just clear something up. The word ‘patent’ does not mean you’re untouchable. Secondly, the word ‘patent’ does not mean protection for everything in the whole universe. The real underdogs in this whole Woolworths story of mine, were actually my amazing attorneys from Kisch IP, namely Andrew Papadopoulos and team. They have been kind enough to weigh in on…
OFFICIAL JOINT STATEMENT: Outcome of Ubuntu Baba / Woolworths discussions
We are pleased to announce that Ubuntu Baba and Woolworths have reached a positive and amicable resolution. As a primarily private label business and given this recent experience, Woolworths will be putting into place additional measures to avoid a similar incident arising in the future. Some examples of these enhanced measures include an Intellectual Property e-learning module to ensure enterprise-wide…
What would’ve happened to your business if Woolworths continued to sell?
I was recently asked this question by Matt Brownell, the Head of Brand Marketing at Yoco. I hadn’t really thought about that yet, because I knew that when the public found out about what had happened, Woolworths would really have no choice but to discontinue stocking the product, because well, social media. Never the less, this question got me thinking.…
Update on Ubuntu Baba / Woolworths situation
I had no idea that my previous blog post would explode on social media the way it did. I knew we were in for some attention, but the support from our customers and the public has been unbelievable and I’m just blown away by how huge this became overnight. So first and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to everyone for…
Dear Woolworths, you have some explaining to do.
“Shannon have you seen this?” I open my WhatsApp to read the message and see a screenshot of the baby carrier I designed being sold on Woolworths’ online shop. I can’t describe the feeling that went through my body in that moment. It’s 16 December 2018 and I’ve just found out that Woolworths has shamelessly copied the complete design and…
