LEGO Group wins copyright case against clone brands in China

A Chinese court has found in favour of the LEGO Group and against knock-off manufacturer BELA in an unfair competition case.

The LEGO Group’s determination to push back against knock-off manufacturers such as Lepin saw a successful step forward recently, with a Chinese court finding on favour of the Danish company and against BELA, one of the many clone brands producing imitation products. This marks the first successful anti-unfair competition case on China for the LEGO Group.

From November 2017, the two Chinese companies the case was upheld against must stop producing products that imitate authentic LEGO sets, both in terms of content and packaging design. The case followed the LEGO brand being recognised as a ‘well-known trademark’ in China, an important prerequisite to such disputes.

 

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‘We will continue our efforts to ensure that parents and children are able to make informed choices when they are buying toy products, and that they are not misled by attempts by irresponsible companies to make toy products appear as something that they are not,’ Peter Thorslund Kjær, Vice President of Legal Affairs in the LEGO Group, said in a statement following the ruling.

More court cases are expected in China as the LEGO Group continues to combat clone brands emanating from the country.

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Graham
Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education.

Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

Graham

Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education. Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

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