Buying Format see all Item Location see all Delivery Options see allThe days of Brits buying cheap designer furniture will end this year following a controversial EU shake-up of replica laws which makes it a criminal offence. Companies can currently sell replica goods providing 25 years has passed from the date the item originally went on sale, but a new EU ruling has extended that period to 70 years. Businesses which sell replica furniture could become liable to a potential fine of up to £50,000, and a custodial sentence of up to ten years. An EU ruling means that furniture replicas will be banned under copyright laws. Versions of the Eames chair (pictured) are currently available for less than £500, but people will soon have to pay £5,000 for an original Can you tell the difference? Cheap versions like the one on the left will be banned when the law is imposed, bringing the £1,200 Castiglioni design (right) back into copyright The ruling will appease designers who see their work recreated by high street chains at a fraction of the price, but homeowners will have to pay much more for fashionable furniture.

Versions of the Eames chair are currently available for less than £500, but these copies will be banned, meaning people would have to pay £5,000 for an original.bean bag chairs in london ontario Other iconic designs which will come into copyright include the Egg chair by Arne Jacobsen and the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe.dining room chairs revit A £250 replica Arco Floor lamp, like one owned by David and Samantha Cameron, would be taken off the shelves and the PM would have to pay £1,200 for an authentic product.where to buy bean bag chairs ottawa The coalition government's decision to repeal Section 52 of the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988, as part of the the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, was expected to be implemented in 2020, to give companies affected time to adapt.massage chair pad fibromyalgia

However, a legal challenge has forced the government to fast track it to April 28 this year. This is despite complaints the short period would cause 'disproportionate harm'.table and chair rentals salem ma Companies will have six months to sell their stock from this date.bean bag chairs in bali The changes have been backed by the likes of Sir Terence Conran and Vitra, a Swiss-based company which is licensed to produce many of these classic designs. Other iconic designs which will come into copyright include the Egg chair (left) by Arne Jacobsen and the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe Tony Ash, Vitra UK managing director, said: 'We are very pleased with the change. Vitra's view is that if a law is changed for sound, logical, legal reasons, why wait another five years to enforce it?

'We merely wanted the UK to conform to EU laws as quickly as possible after the government agreed that EU IP laws had to be adhered to in the UK. 'The originals that we stand for are certainly superior to a copy. A design classic has a history and an added emotional value.' Professor Lionel Bently, an intellectual property expert at Cambridge University, is one of a number of legal academics who are critical of the change. He said: 'The repeal of section 52 was targeted at those who produce replicas of classic furniture but lots of other interests are in fact going to be affected by it. 'Companies which publish design books may have to get numerous licences to reproduce photos because designs have come under copyright. 'Even with respect to replica furniture makers, importers and sellers, the process has been far from satisfactory. The Government has flip-flopped over the length of the proposed transitional period from five years to six month for fear of being sued.

'They are scared of being sued and that seems to be a strange way to go about determining appropriate and proportionate protection of the established property rights and legitimate expectations of third parties.' ARCO FLOOR LAMP BY ACHILLE & PIER GIACOMO CASTIGLIONI Replicas can currently be bought for between £150 and £250 An authentic lamp first produced by Flos in 1962 will now cost around £1,400. Pier Giacomo Castiglioni died in 1968 Will now be under copyright until 2038 BARCELONA CHAIR WITH OTTOMAN BY LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROCHE Replicas can currently be bought for around £500 An authentic chair and ottoman made by Knoll, licensed in 1929, will cost around £5,700 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe died in 1969 Will now be under copyright until 2039 EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR BY CHARLES AND RAY EAMES Replicas of the chair licensed in 1956 can be bought from around £279 An authentic chair made by Vitra will cost from £3,390 Ray Eames died in 1988

Will now be under copyright until 2058 THE ORIGINAL 'EGG' CHAIR BY ARNE JACOBSEN Replicas of the model, first patented in 1952, can be bought from £329 An authentic chair made by Conran will cost around £5,000 Arne Jacobsen died in 1971 Will now be under copyright until 2041 Expired Copyright Homeware Organisation, a campaign group, has called on the government to postpone the changes until 2020. Ivan Macquisten, ECHO campaign adviser, said: 'While ECHO members have been aware for some time of the threat to their livelihoods, others affected are only just waking up to the far-reaching consequences of this law change. 'Many of those whose businesses are at risk, as well as important cultural institutions and the consumer, have no idea of what is about to hit them. 'At this late stage it is not too late to avert disaster, and we appeal to the Secretary of State, who has been extremely sympathetic to the case we have put forward, to do the sensible thing.'