Comments update: readers have been discussing the ethics behind replica furniture this week after it emerged that discount supermarket Aldi was selling near-identical versions of a classic chair by Ray and Charles Eames.

Imitation game: images of Aldi's version of the DSW Eames Plastic Chair, currently produced under licence by Swiss design brand Vitra, emerged on social media last week. Critic Oliver Wainwright subsequently defended the replicas on Twitter, and many Dezeen readers agreed.
"Considering that Ray and Charles Eames originally intended these to be inexpensive chairs for the masses, aren't the Aldi chairs closer to the Eames' original design philosophy"" asked one guest commenter.
"Well done Aldi for actually bringing design closer to people," added Alexis Nicolas Basso, while Greg Harris said: "Style and comfort should not be exclusive to those who can afford to spend $500 per chair." But others felt that Aldi had overstepped a line.
"The definition of inexpensive has changed, where it is now more in line with disposable," wrote commenter danijellosic. "Eames chairs were never cheap, but were meant to be bought once to last a lifetime."
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