aAfter years of dealing with mental health issues, Kelly Robinson-Key found that writing poetry helped her get through dark times. From there, her cottage industry centered around her moving “pocket poems” was born.
But the Wales-based poet now finds himself “mentally exhausted” battling a wave of counterfeit products that copy his work and frequently sell it on some of the biggest online marketplaces. Noticed.
Robinson Key, known as Kelly the Poet, estimates that he may have lost thousands of pounds in sales due to poor quality copies.
“I'm exhausted. I don't get any rest because I'm taking care of my kids and working on my business. I'm mentally exhausted chasing sales. I don't have the ability to fight. I know there isn’t,” she says.
She is one of many small businesses affected by the issue of counterfeiting, where companies often based overseas take original ideas and sell their own versions.
Although it is commonly associated with designer handbags and knock-off jeans, the problem is much broader than that. Fake perfume poses a health risk, and some counterfeit children's toys have been found to contain high levels of lead.
For Robinsonky, the issue has hit her income and meant she has to constantly fight against overseas producers who don't think she can win.
She started writing poetry in 2017, which she says helped her cope with postpartum depression. She has turned this into a successful business, run from a 'poetry shed' in the back garden of her home in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. Some of her products include cards, books, mugs and coasters with poems and original artwork in muslin bags. The cards are printed in the UK and sold on her site and on her Etsy.
A few months ago, a Facebook follower asked if the product being advertised was his. Then she discovered a vast amount of counterfeit goods.
“A quick Google search revealed that my images were being used by several companies who were selling my pocket poems for less, sometimes three times the price.” she says.
“We ordered the pack out of curiosity. It comes from China and is an exact copy. I have rewritten it because the font is different, but the artwork, poem and my business name 'Kelly The Poet' have been copied. Ta. The cards are of terrible quality. ”
Robinson Kee, a full-time caregiver for her disabled son, said she didn't have the “time or mental strength” to fight the sellers. She owns the copyright to the product in the UK, she says.
“After speaking with many other small business owners in the same position, it seems like this problem is nearly impossible to combat. Some people are selling hundreds, which means thousands of pounds are being taken away from us.
“The money I make from the business goes towards taking care of my son and we rely on it a lot. The money these companies are making could help my son.” she says. “If we can raise awareness, that's great, because a lot of people don't realize they're buying stolen goods.”
Faye McConnell, an intellectual property attorney at law firm Brown Jacobson, said the problem of counterfeit goods sold on the web has been a constant problem in recent years, especially since the pandemic led to a boom in e-commerce. It is said that it is expanding.
“It’s growing because it’s easier to hide online than in physical stores,” she says.
“You can do better online. People [the fraudsters] …you can see when something is removed [in popularity] On social media, you can act very quickly when it comes to copy. ”
A report released last year by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) found that although consumers are becoming more wary of counterfeits, nearly a third of them would still buy a fake product if they thought the price was too high. I am planning to purchase it.
Mr. McConnell said counterfeit products are not only of poor quality, but are also often linked to organized crime, and workers who make counterfeit products can be forced to work in poor conditions.
Mr. Robinson-Key emphasized that a large number of counterfeit products are being sold on some of the major internet marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, and Wish.
Amazon said it has removed a number of similar products this year, as well as the new products featured here.
“Amazon strictly prohibits counterfeit products and products that infringe on intellectual property rights in our stores, and we take proactive measures to prevent such products from being listed.” “From the moment a seller lists an item, our advanced technology continuously scans for potential counterfeiting, fraud, and abuse, including any future changes submitted to the item.”
Chinese e-commerce site AliExpress also said it removed listings for counterfeit products after receiving contact from China. observer.
“AliExpress is committed to protecting intellectual property rights. We maintain robust 'notice and take down' mechanisms and designated email channels to comply with our obligations as an e-commerce platform. ” states.
Wish is a San Francisco-based marketplace. observer It says it is committed to “combat the listing, sale and distribution of counterfeit products.”
EBay says it will work with Robinson-Key on this issue and that the sale of counterfeit products on its site is prohibited. “We actively block millions of counterfeit products every year,” it says.
“In the rare event that a counterfeit product is listed for sale, intellectual property owners can report the listing to us using our VeRO program. We will then investigate and take appropriate action, including terminating the listing or terminating your seller account. ”
But in addition to the big companies, there are also many smaller sites that sell knockoffs of Robinson-Key products. “I'm scared to think how much money they're making from my job,” she says.
