back to article Denmark BANNED from viewing UK furniture website in copyright spat

Save the Egg! A court in Denmark has ordered a British furniture company to block users with Danish IP addresses from visiting its website. In most of Europe, including Denmark, furniture designs are protected by copyright for 70 years from the death of the designer. However, in the UK, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act …

  1. Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face

    Juristiction?

    Does a Danish court have any authority over a British website?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Juristiction?

      Well if american courts do then probably.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Juristiction?

      Does a Danish court have any authority over a British website?

      Might as well do. Time was when we actually could say "You and whose army?"

      But successive Right Cunts in Westminster (Cameron, Brown, Blair, I'm looking at you) have ensured that this expression no longer works. Not only are all the main UK political parties utterly servile to the wishes of Europe, but we don't even now have any worthwhile military because of a series of "strategic defence reviews". Which makes that arsehole Cameron's posturing over Ukraine particularly amusing.

      I'm looking forward to a G8 meeting at which Putin gives Cameron a wedgie.

    3. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Juristiction?

      No, which is why they can't knock the site off the web, but they do have jurisdiction in Denmark, so they can block it within Denmark.

      How is this any different to the porn filters that ISPs in the UK are putting in, or blocks on Pirate Bay etc.?

  2. Frankee Llonnygog

    Thanks Danes

    I hadn't heard of Voga.com. I'm off to look for some furniture

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Thanks Danes

      "I hadn't heard of Voga.com."

      Neither had I. They've got some nice stuff there.

  3. TheWeddingPhotographer

    Understand the internet

    Sounds like they really have a comprehension of the internet

    NOT

  4. This post has been deleted by its author

  5. Velv
    Facepalm

    Two words...

    Barbra Streisand

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Two words...

      Not "fuck" and "off", then?

    2. Frankee Llonnygog

      Re: Two words...

      The Danes don't want me to sit on on Barbara Streisand?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Two words...

        .. effect i.e. try to stop something and it just goes viral.

        1. Swarthy

          Re: Two words...

          Arkell v. Pressdram?

          1. Number6

            Re: Two words...

            That's the one I was thinking of, too.

      2. Fungus Bob
        Trollface

        Re: Two words...

        "The Danes don't want me to sit on on Barbara Streisand?"

        No, Barbara Streisand doesn't want you to sit on Barbara Streisand.

        1. Frankee Llonnygog

          Re: Two words...

          I'll have you know Babs regularly used to give me piggy-backs down to the off-licence when we needed to top up on gin, Vimto and Capstan full-strength. Of course she was stronger, back in the day, when she was still combining the singing with the part-time hod-carrying. And, she was still a bloke then...

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Childcatcher

        Re: Two words...

        The Danes don't want me to sit on on Barbara Streisand?

        I don't know about the Danes but images of sitting on anyone else's face are now banned in the UK.

  6. nematoad

    So where's the single market in this fiasco?

    Surely the EU Commission will have something to say about it.

  7. Alan Mackenzie

    Protected?

    Please, no more of this "protected" by copyright nonsense! The designs in question are not being protected - they are not in any danger. They are being _restricted_.

  8. Pisartis

    Arkell v. Pressdram

    Presumably the Arkell v. Pressdram reply will be used, until an English court order is produced.

    1. Swarthy
      Facepalm

      Re: Arkell v. Pressdram

      Argh! you beat me to it. I really should read to the end of comments before posting.

      1. David 132 Silver badge

        Re: Arkell v. Pressdram

        I really should read to the end of comments before posting.

        ...said no-one on the Internet, ever.

    2. yowl00
      Happy

      Re: Arkell v. Pressdram

      Lol, had to google that.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Danish legal system must be retarded to have 75 year copyright

    Copyright is retarded anyway, but anything near to or over a human lifespan makes an utter mockery of the whole idea!

    1. alain williams Silver badge

      Re: The Danish legal system must be retarded to have 75 year copyright

      In England we have 70 years from the release date for music and 70 years from author's death for books - both a far too long, IMHO.

      1. Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face

        Re: The Danish legal system must be retarded to have 75 year copyright

        I think that's basically to protect Paul McCartney.

        1. Crisp

          Re: Paul McCartney?

          I thought it was to protect Cliff Richard.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: The Danish legal system must be retarded to have 75 year copyright

          He died in 1966 remember, the Abbey Road cover and all that other concrete evidence! Not long until 2036!

  10. Dave Harvey

    Whilst this example is clearly stupid, the conflict with the "single market" rules could be interesting, especially in light of the forthcoming disaster for small digital content providers in the UK who are below the UK VAT threshold, but who will be expected to account for VAT in every EU country they sell in from 1st Jan, with NO THRESHOLD! So they can either be prosecuted for refusing to sell outside the UK (single market rules) or for failing to register for every country's VAT (unlimited fine). Hmmm... difficult choice, but geo-blocking may be the only way to avoid an unlimited fine!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      just use MOSS

      Small providers can register under a MOSS scheme,

      https://www.gov.uk/register-and-use-the-vat-mini-one-stop-shop

      1. Christoph

        Re: just use MOSS

        Under MOSS they need to keep two non-conflicting proofs of which country the VAT should be charged to, for 10 years.

        They also have to register for VAT. So if they sell a single item in Europe they must account for VAT on everything they sell.

      2. Dave Harvey

        Re: just use MOSS

        But MOSS is only available to UK VAT registered businesses - if your turnover is less than the UK threshold, then you cannot use MOSS, and need to register in every country - GREAT piece of government logic to support small companies!

        1. P. Lee

          Re: just use MOSS

          The UK VAT threshold is where you're obliged to register. You can voluntarily register below it.

          At current rates you'd be silly not to.

    2. gerryg

      Let's not forget the Portsmouth Landlady

      On the matter of the single market

      As the ECJ ruled: Local bans can't "be justified either in light of the objective of protecting intellectual property rights or by the objective of encouraging the public to attend football stadiums"

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    But surely....

    ...as Danishland is being targeted by Google AdWords, GOOGLE should be blocking All Danish IP addresses .

  12. graeme leggett Silver badge

    if they wanted Scandinavian designs cheaply

    wouldn't they be more likely to head for Sweden (and a certain furniture and homewares store)?

  13. Chris G

    Is you is or is you ain't?

    Just another example of the stupidity of the so called single market.

    Either everyone is able to retain their sovereignty thus being allowed to have different laws regarding (in this case) copyright which fragments aspects of the single market, or, there is no sovereignty in terms of any laws/regulations that may relate to anything that will fall under the influence of the single market, in which case members of the EU will only have sovereignty when it is convenient to the market.

    Also the Danish gov' is not supporting the spirit of the single market in caving in to local lobbying, if they can't compete don't play.

    If every nation goes the same route the EU will fragment which may be a good thing.

  14. RobHib
    Mushroom

    Poor Danish Diddums

    'Design' has always been a way of circumventing shorter patent laws, and 70 years after the designer's death is ridiculously long anyway.

    Let's put this into perspective: Levi Strauss--the inventor (designer) of jeans as we know them today--lived from 1829 to 1902 (72), so if this ridiculously long copyright law was in force back in 1902 then the jeans revolution of the 1950s wouldn't have transpired! Just imagine, no manufacturer would have been able to clone 501-style jeans until at least 1972! [..And there'd be no rivets either!]

    Now, today many people live well past 72. Let's say Strauss lived to 85 (1915) the jeans revolution couldn't have started until 1985. Frankly, such a notion is just absurd--the reasons are many: stifling innovation to begin with!

    In a sensible world, the UK legislators should tell Danish and other like-minded European legislators to go and root themselves (and that's putting it too politely).

  15. cantankerous swineherd
    Pint

    raising a glass to ms Streisand.

  16. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
    Unhappy

    "This will be about reforming and modernising copyright rules"

    Yeah, and like all previous EU copyright harmonisation, whoever has the longest lasting protection racket rules gets to keep them and everyone else has to up their rules to match.

    I always though harmonisation implied a bit of give and take? It all seems more dictatorial rather than harmonious.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I have today banned all Danish bacon from my house

    1. albaleo

      Careful now!

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Fortunately here's plenty of Linconshire bacon. Danish is just a marketing tool. Surely it must be cheaper and more green to buy more locally.

        1. Alan Brown Silver badge

          I'm not buying green bacon. Or eggs or ham.

  18. Eguro

    A little outdated on our news are we?

    "According to Danish digital rights group IT-Pol, the next step could be the furniture industry taking on Danish internet service providers in court to secure a blocking injunction. The industry is certainly going all out here – it also sought, and was awarded, an order for Voga to block even pictures of replica furniture."

    Uuuh... This already happened: http://jyllands-posten.dk/livsstil/ECE7278991/Slut-med-adgang-til-netsider-med-kopimøbler/ (in Danish). Granted it was for other sites, but same issue entirely.

    Note that in this case the british websites had been court ordered in May to do what Voga.com has now been ordered to do.

    So by all means continue with the indignation, but fast-forward it a bit please.

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: A little outdated on our news are we?

      "Note that in this case the british websites had been court ordered in May to do what Voga.com has now been ordered to do."

      Danish courts have no jurisdiction over UK websites unless they get a UK enforcement order - which a judge wouldn't allow if not covered by local laws.

      In other news, voga.com sales to danish addresses triple, as Danes become aware of it.

      1. Eguro

        Re: A little outdated on our news are we?

        Except the sites that had this done in May have just now been blocked at an ISP level.

        I mentioned it because this article seemed to imply that "if something like that were to happen", despite the fact that it happened literally a day before this article came out.

  19. earl grey
    Flame

    thank the great noodly one that it's not mickey the rat

    or you would never EVER see the expiration date....

  20. Chris 239

    When/where do comsumers ever get a level playing field?

    Glad to know we Brits aren't the only ones that get shafted by business!

    I bet the Danish furniture industry is happy to get cheap labour from anywhere in Europe it can but bribes, sorry, lobbies, judges & politicians to stop consumers doing the same

  21. Andrew Meredith

    Harmony my arm

    So if we in the UK are down at the mucky end of the commercial stick (viz baccy tax etc) then we have to just put up with it and get ripped off. However, when we finally get a break under EU diktats, we ..... don't.

    Single market huh .... Harmonisation my fat hairy arm !!

    The sooner we get ourselves untangled from this ugly EU monster the better we will all be.

    That is all.

  22. Jonathan Richards 1
    Joke

    Come on, El Reg!

    A story like that, and not one picture of an iconic Danish design to illustrate?

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