Design McScandal! McDonald’s Mixes Real Arne Jacobsen Chairs With Fakes

Oh, we are lovin’ it now! Remember back when we were all praising McDonald’s for its new attempt at good design? Turns out in addition to the oodles of Arne Jacobsen Swan and Egg chairs placed in its UK restaurants, McDonald’s also ordered a bunch of knockoffs, placing them right alongside the Jacobsens! Manufacturer Fritz Hansen ended their multi-million dollar deal and ordered all its furniture to be yanked from McDonald’s immediately. Fritz Hansen’s CEO Jacob Holm makes an interesting point in the press release:

“We simply will not cooperate or trade with companies who accept piracy, cost what it may. The fact that McDonald’s has chosen to use pirated copies is even more surprising since the company itself is legendary across the world in pursuing trademark and copyright suits to safeguard its product and name,” Holm concluded.

What isn’t surprising is that McDonald’s would substitute something fake and less expensive to stand in for the real thing. Did they ever figure out what denatured animal part the fries were cooked in?

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