Copyright or Wrong in Real Estate…

This is Thailand; land of smiles; land of culture; land of sun; land of spices; land of fakes…Almost impossible to stop are the copy-cats and you see them popup everywhere…Software, computer games, fashion brands, watches, perfumes and the list continues for many many other items. Often the replicas are made of such quality that it is hard to tell on first instance whether they are real of fake.Now I question you: Is this good or bad? Should the original “owner” be flattered or upset?Well, the latter is the right answer, most likely, as stakes are very high in terms of lost revenues etcetera. Or, would you be “flattered” to see that your work is “appreciated” and apparently good enough for others to walk-away with the idea and do the same? Well, I think in some cases it could be a bit of both… It happens in the property-scene as well. I remember when I got inspired after a holiday in Europe with the modern contemporary architecture. Offices, warehouses and factories converted into residential properties, lofts, apartments, communities etc. Charged with a load of positive energy, ideas and thoughts I returned back home (Thailand) and back in the office to sit down with our in-house team of young talented architects and designers to share my emotions with them. Most of our team (back then) never visited other countries outside Thailand and it makes you realize how privileged you are if you have seen many parts of the world…So, it is not such an easy task to “bridge” your ideas to others in a meaningful way; to make them “feel” what you mean.Anyway; a few hours and a bunch of sketches later and watching loads of photos; we actually “born” the idea to design villa project “The Meadows”. A modern housing estate that has changed the looks of Pattaya?!Haha… that would be nice to think. But you should never say it.We are talking year 2005… Pattaya did NOT have: Central Festival Center; Sheraton; Hilton; Centara Grand Mirage; no Major Cineplex Avenue yet; no Zign Hotel and NO modern-styled housing estates.Guess The Meadows was the first of its kind…It MUST be as I can’t remember ANY housing-project in those days that was different from others here in Pattaya. Now guess what?! Based on The Meadows, several developers were “inspired” to come with some more revolutionary designs! One project even made a complete replica of The Meadows’ conceptual architecture!Another (one of Pattaya’s leading housing estate developers) finally threw its old cookie | paste concept overboard and started introducing modern-styled housing projects on the market.Question: MAD or SAD?Answer: Happy! Haha…what a nice compliment!Indeed: They copied RIGHT, not wrong!It was time for a change on the market and my company is proud on the fact that we were the first one with enough guts and vision to do things different than others! Complimented by those that later started to copy more of the same. And did it change the face of Pattaya? Yes, I think it did.For those that reside long enough in town; you could easily say: “A metamorphoses happened over the last 5 years”. Old buildings were either demolished or renovated; and newer, “Fresher” properties replaced them. The overall street-appeal, the face of Pattaya has modernized…What a great thought that we were in the frontline of developers with an eye for future…