In April 2019, the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) discovered that items in the Weekend Max Mara clothing line, featuring cultural designs of the Oma ethnic group from Laos, were being sold without consent, credit, or compensation of their origin. TAEC has worked closely with the Oma since 2010 and this discovery brought home the importance and challenge of protecting cultural intellectual property from misappropriation and plagiarism, particularly by international textile and fashion companies. 

TAEC, as an advocate for the interests of ethnic minority communities, is leading the movement to support recognition of the rights of communities over their traditional knowledge and cultural expressions in Laos.

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