Temu summoned by Australian artist Lauren Sissons
An Australian small business owner and graphic designer claims online retail giant Temu sold her designs without permission.
Lauren Sissons designs cards, art prints, notepads and other stationery for her business, Lauren Sissons Studio.
Ms Sissons lives in Queensland on the Sunshine Coast and has become known both nationally and internationally for her designs.
Despite her profile, she was shocked to see copies of her designs advertised on Chinese retail giant Temu.
“It struck me a few months ago when I was on Pinterest and saw an ad for one of my greeting cards that I knew wasn’t my style,” she told A Current Affair.
‘I clicked through and ended up in Temu.’
Ms Sissons warned Temu, but claimed the online retail giant initially told her they would not remove the adverts featuring her greeting card design.
“I went back, uploaded screenshots of my artwork and provided photos of it, physically in my hand,” she said.
‘They finally came back a few days later and let me know that they had removed the ad.’
Australian graphic designer Lauren Sissons (pictured) is furious after Chinese retail giant Temu allegedly stole her art and sold it for a fraction of the price
However, within a few weeks, Temu is said to have added another item to the list that was identical to one belonging to Mrs. Sisson.
Her $25 alphabet print was reportedly available on the site for $4.99. Ms Sisson alleges Temu is “exploiting” artists.
“It feels like someone is looking at your work in an opportunistic way, almost like they are shopping around to determine which of my designs will be most profitable for them,” Sissons said.
“It’s just this feeling of being one individual, one artist, against a huge, huge system.
“I believe it’s a platform that’s built on exploiting those artists, individuals and small businesses.”
Lawyer Richard Mitri told A Current Affair that artists are virtually powerless if they find themselves in Ms Sissons’ situation and have to travel to China to try to stop it.
The greeting card sold on Temu that mimics Lauren Sissons’ design
The original design, which Ms. Sissons sells as an art print for $25
As a result, Mr Mitri said, large platforms like Temu “know they can continue their practices with virtually impunity”.
He also noted that they are selling the products for ‘1/100th, or even less, of what they are worth to the Australian citizen’.
In a statement to A Current Affair, Temu said there were “strict rules against sellers who violate intellectual property rights”.
“For repeat offenders or those acting in bad faith, we can impose multiple penalties, including permanent removal from the platform,” a Temu spokesperson told A Current Affair.
“We also maintain a blocklist to prevent problematic sellers from returning under a different name.”
