What will you do if you find videos duplicating the products you sell? For fashion influencer Matilda Djerf, it is just right to take them down.
The 26-year-old influencer and her team took down clips featuring “dupes,” or duplicates of brand-name products, of her brand’s, Djerf Avenue, fruit print pajamas.
An influencer set off a debate on the ethics of promoting replicas on TikTok after her team took down videos featuring dupes — duplicates of brand-name products — of her brand’s fruit print pajamas.
The word “dupe” is the shortened form of the word “duplicate.” In the world of TikTok, it pertains to users sharing their finds of more affordable alternatives or knock-off versions of popular brands.
The products featured on dupes sell at more affordable prices than the originals. Though they have been present for long, these videos have skyrocketed in fame on TikTok just recently, mainly because they favor consumers with lower budgets.
Featured on Forbes’ 2023 top creators list, is a Swedish fashion designer, model, and the co-founder of her Djerf Avenue brand. She has been a fashion influencer for almost a decade now.
When she launched her Djerf Avenue in 2019, the influencer gave fans an opportunity to buy her lifestyle directly, but over the previous month, some fans have soured on the brand after they heard stories of smaller content creators saying Djerf Avenue took down their videos mentioning duplicates of the brand, accusing them of copyright infringement.
One of these content creators whose videos were taken down took to TikTok to air their side. You can watch the clip below.
“This is low-key scary that they can do this,” a commenter said under that video.
Furthermore, some other content creators and critics are arguing that Djerf’s designs are also inspired by other brands, making them call the action “hypocritical.”
A representative for Djerf Avenue said they have recently seen a “surge” in websites selling items with its trademarked prints and designs.
TikTok’s community guidelines strictly prohibit the “posting, sharing, or sending any content that violates or infringes upon someone else’s copyrights, trademarks or other IP rights.”
