Over the weekend, there was something of a kerfuffle in cycling circles over some allegations that a cycling company had ripped off someone else’s designs.

You can read the story here at road.cc.

The accused company, Wiggle (who I’ve bought a decent amount of cycling accessories and clothing from), has responded on Facebook, and have very politely rejected the idea that they’ve plagiarised anyone.

A few thoughts come to mind from this affair:

– In the design world, it’s never easy to say who came up with an idea first. “Inspiration” comes from lots of places.

– It’s probably best to conduct these sort of things behind closed doors. If you don’t get a satisfactory response in a fair and reasonable time, then shout from rafters.

– Don’t make your complaint on a Friday evening or over a weekend. It’s just unfair on the other party. Give them a fair timetable to get back to you.

In a socially connected world, consumers do hold a lot of power. But without full knowledge of the facts of a case, we can be pushed into making rash decisions. Walk away from the keyboard, and have a think before you post. This is a good idea in lots of cases.