Braithwaite Wallets Allows Others to Steal Designs
April 18, 2009 | Levent OZLER
Braithwaite Wallets is taking their proprietary, eye-catching designs from local Canadian artists and sharing them with the world through Creative Commons.
Braithwaite made the decision after founder Connor Ferster spotted a comment on a product review on BoingBoing.
"I can't wait for someone to completely steal the design and make it for less," wrote a commentator.
Instead of being offended, Ferster realized an opportunity to change the wallet business.
"We have no problem with another company stealing our ideas," he said.
"If this prompts other wallet companies to wake up and realize that they've been doing the same thing over and over again since the 1950s, then we still succeed.
"Men have such a strong relationship with their wallets that it pains me to think that every man is just carrying a variation of one unoriginal wallet design."
Creative Commons is a non-profit corporation that provides free copyright licenses allowing creators to freely share their work, royalty free, while still retaining authorship credit.
Ferster says he's not concerned that sharing his unique designs will hurt the company that has attracted clients from as far away as Australia, Turkey and Ireland since its March 2008 launch.
"A large part of what makes our wallets special is the craftsmanship, materials, and the execution; it's not just the design."
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