Update: The great Laguiole swindle.

Last week at my wine group lunch at Oyster (35 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 300 Vic +61 3 9650 0988) I couldn’t help but notice the steak knives.
They have the classic shape and even the trademark bee.
But sorry, these are not Laguiole but a blatant copy by Maxwell & Williams.
I am very surprised that they have got away with it, or do they have a licensing deal with Laguiole?
This is what the Laguiole website says:

“Laguiole is worldwide known with the cutlery.
Laguiole knives and Laguiole brand were created over the last century. The brand is easily recognizable by the bee inlayed on each knife.”

This is what the Maxwell & Williams website says:

“All MAXWELL & WILLIAMS products are made from the finest quality materials available. We source manufacturers of the highest repute to work closely with our team of Australian based designers and we proudly stand by the quality of the products we deliver, providing you with as much information about your purchase as possible.”

I couldn’t find the knives on the Maxwell & Williams website. Anyway I’ve asked them via email. Will they respond?

UPDATE: A reply from Maxwell & Williams. Obviously, copyright reared its ugly head:

“Thank you for your enquiry on our Maxwell & Williams range of homewares.
To answer your questions, the Maxwell & Williams range of ‘Laguiole’ steak knives were made in our factories in China. They are a ‘Laguiole’ style knife. And unfortunately they are now part of a deleted line. This range was discontinued approximately 6 months ago, and any remaining stock was sold via participating stores.”