Since the early 20th century, Vlisco has produced African print cloth – otherwise known as Dutch wax prints. The rise of mass-produced, Dutch wax prints partially displaced domestic textiles, which lacked the colourfastness and material lightness that ultimately made wax prints an essential everyday consumer good. These include a trademarked monogram, an encrypted bar code, a label, a design number, and the word marks “Guaranteed Dutch Wax Vlisco/Véritable Wax Hollandais Vlisco” printed on the cloth’s selvedge. Intellectual property law essentially manages the slippery tension between private ownership and the public domain – the “commons”. Copyrights, patents and trademarks – the basic tools of intellectual property law – are firmly rooted in 18th-century liberal thought.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 30, 2016 06:45 UTC