Today I want to dive into a topic that’s incredibly important but often overlooked: responsibility for safety.

Specifically, the responsibility we all share when it comes to researching, buying, and using safe equipment. 

In Australia, there are no official safety standards or government guidelines to protect pole dancers, which means it’s up to us to ensure our own safety. If you buy a pole, advertised to hold up to 300kg on ebay, it snaps, you get hurt - what would your recourse be? The company would just ghost you. You go to "sue them" only to find it's a network of random email addresses, product shipped direct out of a factory overseas, in short you can't do a thing. 

Please be aware, and tell your friends - your safety - it is up to you. 

The Importance of Research

Before making any purchase, especially something as critical as a pole, it’s vital to do your homework. Look for reputable brands with a history of quality and safety. Read reviews, ask for recommendations from your teachers, and don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions about thistory of the brand, how long the company has been in business, what their warranty process is, and ... are they insured!?.

Reflecting back on our fight against counterfeit sellers in the Australian market – it took so much time, nearly half a million in legal fees (against one seller). We managed to put one Chinese importer out of business for selling sets that were sold with our branding, but all it's done is force the fake importers to sell smarter. 

We were awarded damages, but the seller had all his assets and accounts outside Australia. Be aware - it is not as simple as suing someone and relying on the Government agencies to protect you. 

Unless small businesses like ours go to court with every single fake pole importer in Australia, there is noone actively policing this industry, or enforcing a polers' right to safe equipment. 

Identifying counterfeit & unsafe sets was far simpler for customs authorities when fake sellers all used our logo, and our images. The fake poles now generally come with a simple black & white manual, but no significant identifying materials. So it's the same shoddy fake, camouflaged to look like a 'generic' pole.

The manuals usually look like this: 

Interesting to note that 90% of the fake pole manuals still use our old FAQs, written by me, back in 2005 (as seen on our original website here below). 

Is a Generic No-Name Pole Really Safe?

The first thing to bear in mind is that this style of 'acro-prop' pole set (portable, with a dome housing bearings & using a height-adjuster rod) was first designed by Clive Coote, CEO of X-POLE in the UK. 

It is not considered a generic 'no-name pole' set if it is a copy of Clive's original design. It is a fake & a copy. 

In designing the first early X-POLE sets, Clive consulted with F1 engineers, making safety the focus. 

In designing copy-cat poles, profit is the focus. They aim to make it feel sturdy, look the same, but make it cheap.

We have had to purchase close to 40 different variations of fake/generic/imitation X-POLE sets in chasing fake sellers. Not one imitation set had all the safety features found on the original X-POLE. 

Many of these poles claim load ratings of up to 300kgs!... ummm ok... says who? 

Is that 300kg fail load, in which case it means on a 10 to 1 ratio (aerial safety ratio) that the pole will hold 30kgs? Folks, you need to read, ask questions, and ask for proof of quality before you buy!

The Role of the Pole Community

In the absence of official regulations, the pole community plays a crucial role in promoting safety standards. 

Share your knowledge and experiences with others. 

If you come across counterfeit products, or your friend purchases a fake pole that infringes our copyright - email us and let us know. We are always willing to try and help shut down sellers of unsafe equipment.

I need to clarify, just as I did under cross-examination in Federal court: I am not, and we (at X-POLE) are not, anti-competition. 

There are other pole companies in Australia that produce beautiful, high-quality, boutique, custom poles. The more quality companies supporting the Australian industry, the better. 

I am completely against fake and copycat sellers. 

They are not polers in our industry. 

They are usually run by drop-ship startups looking to profit by selling unsafe crap. they do not pole. They do not understand the force put on a pole during use. They do not sponsor competitions, they do not run fundraisers, and they do not support the growth of our industry.

Actually, they do the opposite.

Should we have a severe accident here (as seen overseas), insurance will clamp down overnight on our Aussie pole industry. Already, pole is seen by insurers as an "inherently risky" sport. If we have a severe injury or death due to a cheap quality pole failing, it will make insurance unaffordable for pole studios and companies across the board.

We are not a community of ditzy girls, looking to buy a pole to dance "around" and look pretty. 

We are a community of smart, strong and powerful people. We need to push for standards, we need to push our friends to make smart choices. If it's a money thing - second hand X-POLE is always better than fake, 200% of the time. 

Together, we can create a safer environment for all pole dancers.

Personal Responsibility

Ultimately, the responsibility for your safety lies with you. 

Take the time to educate yourself about the potential risks and how to mitigate them. Empower yourself with knowledge, and don’t take shortcuts when it comes to your safety.

Do you know what happens if that pole snaps? You complain to the eBay seller, who might offer a refund. They close their store and start a new store where they sell poles alongside blenders, steam mops, and fake ab rollers. 

You try to sue them; it costs you tens of thousands, and you find their money is all offshore, assets in names of people that aren't related, or they just disappear. 

We've had it happen time & again in chasing the sellers of fake poles.

Please don't trust that the government or "some safety standards person" or a lawyer or judge will be able to protect you or will help you if something goes wrong.

It's no-one's responsibility but yours to ensure you have quality, safe equipment. 

You need to check your pole every time you use it, same as you do aerial or rock climbing gear.
It's your safety, your ability to move & dance.

The Legal Battle: Vertical Leisure vs. Skyrunner

To give you an idea of the stakes involved, let’s look at a summary of a significant case we fought. 

"The Australian sellers of dancing poles, Vertical Leisure Ltd and Dance4Me Pty Ltd (Vertical Leisure), were awarded damages after a competitor, Skyrunner Pty Ltd (Skyrunner), sold inferior copies of X-POLE poles using X-POLE copyrighted materials."

The Federal Circuit Court's decision in Vertical Leisure Limited v Skyrunner Pty Ltd demonstrated that Skyrunner had:

• Infringed our copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth);
• Infringed our trademark under section 120 of the Trade Mark Act 1995 (Cth);
• Engaged in passing off; and
• Engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

Judge Driver found that the counterfeit poles caused consumer confusion and damaged the reputation of the X-POLE brand. 

The court awarded damages for loss of profit and reputation and additional damages for the flagrancy of the infringement.  

If you want to read about the case, here is the Judgement, which has now become a precedent for calculation of damages where there have been multiple legislative breaches of intellectual property rights. 

"so... I'm in Federal Court all next week with the final Hearing against a Fake seller that we have been chasing to stop selling sets since March 2010... yes - 6 years... and literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is one seller who has sold 5 different styles of fakes over the years. If your pole came from Gymtime, Living Social, 7db, auzorigin, Cudo, My deal, Oufferr, ikoala or skyrunner - call us... checking through the 9 sets of his that we have here - the cheap black bearings literally fell out of 70% of the domes - brand new. Meaning only ONE set of cheap bearings. Crazy unsafe.

If you cant reach me or you haven't heard from me, this is why. Call the office or text me? Working on my 5th and hopefully final affidavit - then game on. Wish me luck."

Esentially, in a world without formal safety standards for pole dancing, it’s up to each of us to take responsibility for our own safety. 

By researching thoroughly, buying quality equipment, using it correctly, and sharing our knowledge, we can ensure a safer, more enjoyable pole journey for everyone. 

Let’s make safety our top priority, talk about this with your friends - spread awareness. 

But PLEASE people; read, research & don't put blind faith in other people's ability to protect you from the crap that's out in the marketplace. 

Buy second-hand if you are on a budget - we will ALWAYS offer help on how to check an older model before you buy it, even if the sale doesn't come through us.

At X-POLE, we want you to pole safely. 3 Jessie xx

Contact us if you need more information on any of this.