We know plagiarism is a huge no-no – but unfortunately, many small businesses have called out big businesses for copying their designs. However, is this a case of copying or just taking inspiration from a trending design? A Twitter user by the name of Hanis recently called out Petronas for copying a tote bag design from homegrown brand Oh Sebenar.
The tweet alleged that Petronas had copied the design for their Labyrinth Tote Bag from Oh Sebenar’s Room Tour Bag. For your information, Oh Sebenar is a local business based in Kuala Lumpur and founded by Nadine Jasmine in 2018. The Room Tour tote bag was released in 2022 and was a collaboration with local design studio Miso Rama.
The user pointed out that both bags carry the same design with the brand name on the front – albeit in different fonts – plus an illustration on the back. While partially covered, the illustrations have similar elements, including caricatures of people. Hanis also included a side-by-side comparison of the two bags, including one image where the two tote bags were in the same position.
Another Twitter user has also called out Petronas on the issue, even claiming that Petronas most likely edited the image taken from the Oh Sebenar website. Petronas had also posted about the tote bag on their official TikTok account but have since removed the post following backlash. However, they have yet to make an official statement to address these allegations.
Many netizens have shared their opinion of these allegations, showing mixed reactions. Some sided with the users, expressing disappointment at Petronas for stealing the design from a small business. Others said that plagiarism from big businesses is unfortunately common and has affected many designers before.
However, others were unconvinced that Petronas had stolen the design, as they pointed out that many brands have had similar designs before. Some also said that Petronas could’ve been inspired by a similar design style. As for the bag itself, many shared that product manufacturers and suppliers have carried the same bag type, so other companies could easily print their own designs onto the same bag. They also defended the similar product images, saying they’re merely mockups using the same template.
What do you think about the claims? Do you believe Petronas copied the design? Or is it just a common design?
UPDATE (10th November 2023, Friday):
Oh Sebenar has released an official statement to address the questions and concerns regarding their Room Tour Tote Bag and Petronas’ Labyrinth Tote Bag. The brand took to Instagram to share additional information about the bag, the design and the production stages.
In the official statement, Oh Sebenar addressed several questions that came from netizens about the tote bags. The Instagram post includes information about the designs, the product description, the manufacturing process and the supplier. The brand also responded to the issue of similar product images, even proving that the photos on the Oh Sebenar website are taken in-house by the team.
The homegrown brand also shared more about the production process for the Room Tour Tote Bag, which was a collaboration between the brand and local illustrator Miso Rama. The post revealed it took four months of development before the launch in October 2022. They also included the sketches made by Miso Rama as well as screenshots of the conversation between the brand, the illustrator and the manufacturers.
Below are the two posts from Oh Sebenar:
Sources: Twitter (1)(2), Instagram, Oh Sebenar, Petronas Shop
