A nail designer has threatened legal action against high street store Primark after the retailer released a set of fake nails which look strikingly similar to her own designs. Jerri Cook, 30, from Waterlooville, Hants, claims the £400 billion company 'stole' hand-painted designs she began selling in 2016 for its own near-identical 'Cactus Queen' nail range. There's little difference between the press-on plastic nails being sold for £2.50 by Primark and the £14.99 ones Jerri has been selling from her online Etsy shop, which she runs from home. Jerri, who started her business Dippy Cow Nails in 2016, selling sets which take her two hours to paint, said: 'It felt horrendous when I saw Primark appeared to have copied my design. I just thought - what do I even do about it?'
After her designs became popular online she was able to give up her day job and she now sells around 50 sets a week, making about £30,000 a year. But Jerri was stunned when she spotted a box of Primark nails being sold on eBay last May which looked identical to hers. Horrified, she popped into her local store and found the nails on sale for just £2.50. Jerri said: 'I do everything myself - design, creation, packaging, marketing, photography, social media, customer service, you name it.'That's what makes it even harder when you find that a handcrafted piece of your own art is replicated and sold for £2.50 on the high street.
'I regularly monitor sites like eBay for copycats or people using my own images. I found out my design was stolen because I saw a set of the Primark nails being sold on eBay.'I first made that design in 2016, and it was one of my first ever designs. I actually still have the original set I made.'The nail artist, who has now employed a solicitor to look into the matter for her, said: 'It seems they copied everything about the set, even down to the shape. I have quite a big Instagram following, but it's nothing compared to Primark.'
'My followers are absolutely disgusted and some have said they will boycott Primark.'I work insanely hard because I am the only person running this business. I work all day, every day, and sometimes through the night if I have a big order.'When it's your own business you have to give it everything you can.' Miss Cook admits she feels 'completely helpless' against Primark, which has 174 stores in the UK but has sought legal advice for a copyright battle. She said: 'It's a total David versus Goliath situation and there is so little information or resources out there with regard to copyright issues.
'Though I have a large social media presence, especially on Instagram, and am very well known in the press-on nail community, I simply don't feel I have the funds for legal action.'I've felt so intimidated by the scale of Primark, knowing they would have a powerful legal team that I've not even known where to start.'I have a wealth of evidence to support a fight, but was unsure where to begin.' A spokesman for Primark today said: 'This design is part of the wider cactus/geometric trend identified by our buying team earlier this year.'However, we are sorry to hear that Ms Cook feels this way and urge her to contact customer care directly so we can fully investigate her claim.'