The Block’s Luke and Jasmin insist they didn’t knowingly break the rules amid ‘copygate’ saga

The Block’s Luke and Jasmin have broken their silence on the explosive ‘copygate’ saga that has rocked The Block this week.

The couple, who were accused by judge Shaynna Blaze of plagiarising their winning children’s bedroom, shared a statement to Instagram on Tuesday night insisting they did not knowingly break the rules.

‘We were just working happily on our kitchen when Shaynna popped in to give us a slap on the wrist for copying. Our faces said it all, we were in shock,’ they began.

The couple claimed they’d made no secret of their use of ‘inspo’ images from design companies such as The Designory while renovating the children’s bedroom.

‘All week we were showing our mood board which featured the room from the The Designory (and other images). We were open about using it and believed it was all above board,’ they explained.   

Luke and Jasmin also reminded viewers that a similar controversy had taken place on The Block in 2017, when teammates Ronnie and Georgia were accused by other contestants of copying their winning room from a design they’d found on Pinterest.  

Ronnie and Georgia were cleared of any wrongdoing by the judges, however.  

Luke and Jasmin reminded fans: ‘At the time, a Channel Nine spokesperson stated, “The only rule is that contestants don’t enlist the help of a professional interior designer. There is no limit on the boundaries to which contestants can take an inspiration image and draw on latest trends for their rooms.”‘

‘So this is our understanding of the show’s “rules” with regards to copying. Rules which we haven’t broken,’ they continued. 

The WA team went on to accuse their rivals of ‘copying’ other designs.

‘We know that other contestants this season have copied images for their rooms. We hope it adds as much value to their house as possible,’ they wrote.

They concluded their post by explaining there was a simple reason for why they took inspiration from an existing design – to make sure their room was ‘on-trend’.

‘We set out to create an on-trend home and there will always be current design trends that feature in homes built at the same time, by people who scroll the same feeds as us,’ they stated.

It comes after Shaynna shared her own statement to Instagram on Tuesday in which she urged viewers to stop trolling the couple, and Jasmin in particular.

While the interior design guru defended her remarks about the couple’s room being plagiarised, she did acknowledge the possibility they had copied their room without even realising it. 

‘We’re living in the world of Instagram and Pinterest so it’s inevitable that sometimes the lines blur between ‘taking inspiration’ and direct copying,’ Shaynna began.

She added that it was ‘imperative we all consider other designers’ intellectual property rights when we are designing for profit’.  

In light of this, Shaynna said she had no choice but to ‘have a difficult conversation’ with Luke and Jasmin after noticing the ‘many similarities’ between their renovation and the Barefoot Escapes holiday home in Byron Bay designed by The Designory agency.

While she stood by her position that House 4 had crossed the line, she also made it clear there was no excuse for trolling.

‘Please don’t direct any negativity towards Jasmin on social media, and instead let’s all take a look at our own appreciation of design and other designers, and our personal understanding of the difference between imitation and plagiarism,’ she concluded.