Barcelona-based architect Beth Gali is taking legal action against the state of Qatar over the alleged forgery of her 'Latina' streetlamp.
Gali claims that 1000 forged units of the streetlamp, designed by her and marketed and manufactured by Santa & Cole, have been installed on Al Waab Street in Doha, the capital city of Qatar.
According to a press statement, the state of Qatar and its public company Ashghal requested Santa & Cole to work on a lighting project for Al Waab Street, in time for the 14th Asian Games.
Santa & Cole claims that Ashghal chose the 'Latina' streetlamp, which was adapted to meet the needs of the project, after five different projects with models and technical specifications were submitted. They claim that Ashghal then went on to request a local company to make nearly 1,000 copies of the streetlamp.
Gali claims to have attempted to reach an amicable agreement with the Qatari authorities over a period of six years but the matter has now been referred to the Courts of Barcelona and made public.
Having lodged the complaint, Gali stated her "Full confidence in the Spanish legal system to resolve a blatant case of large-scale forgery".
