Tech
Aritzia sued over hot pink sculptures by artist claiming they’re ‘identical’ copies of his work
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Aritzia is being sued by an artist in the United States over hot pink sculptures that have been featured in the Canadian fashion retailer’s window displays across North America this spring.
The artist said the Canadian chain is copying his work with sculptures that are “identical” to the sculptures he’s been creating for more than 40 years.
“I was astounded. Why? Why not contact me? … It was hurtful, quite frankly,” said Richard X. Zawitz, who owns Tangle Creations.
In a lawsuit filed from his home state of California, Zawitz says Aritzia’s window displays are a “significant” infringement of his copyright — online and in real life. He said the popular, mid-priced women’s wear retailer, headquartered in Vancouver, has displayed the sculptures in cities from Vancouver and Toronto to New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
He said he found out about Aritzia’s display from friends earlier this year.
“My phone blew up,” he said in an interview.
“Everybody was texting me from all over the country, including Canada, and said, ‘Wow, your sculptures are in Aritzia. How fantastic. They look beautiful’ … I was astounded, but boy, they look good,” he continued.
“I was on my way to L.A. the next day and I went down to the grove and boy, those sculptures were in the window.”
An Aritzia spokesperson told CBC in a written statement that the retailer is currently reviewing the matter.
“These sculptures were created by Aritzia’s in-house designers who strive to create an everyday luxury, aspirational shopping environment for our clients. Boutique visual displays are seasonal in nature and have been taken down in the normal course,” the spokesperson said.
TikTok of sculpture sees 8.5M views
The sculptures have also gotten attention on TikTok. Some employees filmed themselves trying to assemble the pieces — resembling pink macaroni — and wrangling the sculptures into the window. Some people replying in the comments asked if the sculptures would be available to take home once Aritzia was done with them.
One video has had more than 8.5 million views.
Zawitz’s lawsuit said his fine art Tangle sculptures and miniature toy versions are made of interlocking, curved pieces that can be twisted and bent to customize the pose. He claimed Aritzia’s art consists of similar interlocking pieces and bear the same hot pink, chrome finish as the “palm metallic pink” option sold in his online store.
“The striking similarities between the Infringing Sculptures and the TANGLE Sculptures indicate that [Aritzia] committed their infringing acts deliberately, willfully, and maliciously, without regard to [Zawitz]’s proprietary rights in the TANGLE Copyright Registrations,” read the lawsuit filed this month.
Zawitz said he would’ve been open to collaborating with the retailer or being credited with his name in the window, but they weren’t able to settle the issue out of court.
“We found them rather unwilling and uncompromising. So we had to take this step,” he said.
“As an artist, if you don’t protect what you’ve created … it’s going to get stolen.”
Zawitz said he’s collaborated with the fashion industry before.
Michael Jackson wore a version of the art in L’Uomo Vogue, or Vogue Italia for men, as part of a spread marking the 25th anniversary of his Thriller album in 2007. British fashion label J.W. Anderson partnered with Zawitz to create the metal handles for its Spring 2016 collection.
“They missed a golden opportunity, frankly,” Zawitz said of Aritzia.
The copyright claim has not been proven and Aritzia has not filed a response in court.
Zawitz is seeking up to $30,000 in damages from Aritzia for each instance of alleged copyright infringement.
Aritzia, the Vancouver-based women’s wear company that’s long been a mainstay in Canada, is exploding in popularity in the U.S. with plans for a major expansion south of the border. But experts warn that expanding too quickly could backfire.
Tech
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02 Jun 2023, 1:34 PM IST
02 Jun 2023, 1:34 PM IST
Meta has revealed that the Quest 3 is to be their newest VR headset and we’ll know more about the plans for it in September.
The announcement came via an Instagram post from their co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Meta has also revealed that the 128GB model of the next generation of VR headset will cost $499.99 and there will be additional storage options for those that want extra space.
You can check out the specs – that we know of – below but more information and the plans for the Quest 3 VR headset will be shared on September 27 at Meta’s Connect event. What we do know currently is that unsurprisingly, the new model is slimmer, delivers stronger performance and higher performance.
If this wasn’t good news enough, the price of the Meta Quest 2 is being reduced to $299.99. The Quest 2 is sits atop our best VR headsets rankings at the moment due largely to how affordable and accessible it is, and that price drop only makes things better.
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The main takeaways from Meta’s new announcement, other than the Quest 3 is going to be their new major VR headset, is that the new model will have a 40% slimmer optic profile, compared to the Quest 2. The outer tracking rings have been dropped to take up less space and to feel more natural. It will also use next-generation Snapdragon chipset to power extra pixels and deliver twice the graphical performance of the Quest 2.
More good news is that the Quest 3 will be compatible with the Quest 2’s 500 plus library of VR games and experiences. Meta also claim that this is due to be a supercharged all-in-one headset with no wires required.
If you already own the current generation of Meta Quest VR headset then there’s also some good news as a software update is coming to the Quest 2 that will see a dramatic performance increase. Up-to 26% CPU performance increase and an up-to 19% GPU speed increase for the Quest 2 and 11% for the Pro model. That means smoother gameplay, more responsive UI and greater pixel density without dropping frames.
If you can’t wait for September and virtual reality is your thing then it could be worth your time to check out our guides to the latest VR headset deals and best free VR experiences.
Tech
Apple's AR/VR Headset Expected to Enter Mass Production in October Ahead of Late 2023 Launch – MacRumors
Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset will enter mass production in October and launch by December, according to investment firm Morgan Stanley. Apple is still expected to unveil the headset at WWDC next week, and provide developers with tools to create apps for the device, which is expected to have its own App Store.
“While we expect Apple’s AR/VR headset to be unveiled next week, our supply chain checks suggest mass production won’t start until October ’23, with general availability most likely ahead of the December holidays,” said Erik Woodring, an Apple analyst at Morgan Stanley, in a research note obtained by MacRumors.
Apple’s supply chain is preparing to assemble only 300,000 to 500,000 headsets in 2023, according to Woodring. As widely rumored, he believes the headset will have a starting price of around $3,000, and he expects gross margins to be “close to breakeven at first,” suggesting that Apple will initially make minimal profits on the device.
Morgan Stanley also reiterated that Apple plans to announce a new MacBook Air at WWDC, but it’s unclear if this information is independently sourced or simply corroborating other rumors. Apple’s keynote begins on Monday, June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
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