This is craziness! Even if you REMOVED all the reproductions, it won't help your sales Knoll. Adjust prices or die.

Agreed. These designs have long been in the public domain. It's unintentionally hillarious that the unlicensed Panton S chair they have at White on White is MUCH better than the licensed one they have at Design Within Reach (the former is gorgeous solid resin coated plexiglass, the latter is cheap ABS plastic) even though they're the same price.

There was a time when DWR carried (and was proud of it) unlicensed reproductions at much lower prices than the authorized pieces. I wonder what their response to this is?

Again the problem with most discussions of knock-offs is that the big picture is rarely presented.

Does anyone actually care that the Knoll ones are produced in the US and the cheap ones are made in China? That when you buy knock-offs you're undercutting American jobs and the economy?

How about that royalties from the sale of authentic Barcelonas help support the Museum of Modern Art in NYC?

Or, in Andrew's case, do you care that resin coated fibreglas is horrible for the environment and for the people making the chairs. Or do you only care how shiny and inexpensive your chair is?

And Shinichi - Knoll is the second largest furniture manufacturer in the world. I dont think they got that way because people thought the Barcelona was too expensive. The knock-offs are for people who facetiously believe ALL design should be inexpensive - even though the Barcelona was a cotoure design for Spanish royalty. It was originally designed to BE an expensive chair.

I'm rooting for Knoll on this one.

By the same token, however, allowing an 80 year old design to enter the public domain could lead to an opportunity for great American craftsmen to make a beautiful and well made chair.

Just because something was once designed for royalty doesn't mean it should always be expensive. After all, there are a number of things that were formerly for the "noble" or ultra-rich only that we can all now enjoy. Who says the democratization of design is a bad thing?

I don't believe that all design should be inexpensive, but I do believe that 80 years is plenty of time for someone to claim an exclusive right to an idea. Besides, Knoll has manufacturing facilities in Canada. If we buy furniture from Knoll that comes from that particular facility are we undercutting the American economy?

Part of the problem with knock-offs of this particular design is that they use inferior welding and the knock-off just doesn't holdup over time. I would love to have this chair in my home (in red please), but cannot afford the real thing. The knock-offs just aren't the same quality.

this is a silly argument. the knoll chair is expensive because it is beautifully made. it is made of full grain spinneyback leather, each chair is entirely upholstered in the hide from one animal to ensure that the entire piece wears uniformly, and there are no weld marks on the frame. It is made in Italy.

A beautifully made leather chair SHOULD cost about $4,000. It should not be an impulse buy. It should not be something you buy because you saw it at your friends house and you wanted it. It should not be trendy. It should not be disposible.

You should take your time, save your money and invest in it, your home and yourself. you will leave it some day to your fortunate children.

I am with modfan and kristian on this one.

Knoll is ridiculous for thinking they have all the rights on these. Give me a break!