LEGO vs LEPIN: Chinese justice has ruled

Continuation and end of the legal drama that has opposed LEGO and LEPIN since 2016 in the field of intellectual property with a court decision in favor of the Danish manufacturer.

In summary, Chinese justice recognizes that LEPIN maintains confusion with the LEGO brand by offering products bearing a logo incorporating the graphic codes of the original brand and range names aimed at trying to deceive the consumer.

The verdict is final, LEPIN will have to stop infringing on LEGO's intellectual property rights and will no longer be able to use visual elements likely to deceive consumers, the court noting that LEPIN uses these devices to sell products with content. strictly identical to those of the LEGO brand or to promote them on Chinese social networks.

LEPIN, or rather the company MZ-Model which operates the brand, will have to pay around 2 million euros to LEGO for the damage suffered and will not be able to appeal the decision rendered. A drop of water for this manufacturer who is content to reproduce products identically without incurring the development costs and which must therefore generate comfortable margins.

Note that this court decision only concerns the misappropriation of the LEGO brand and the names of the various ranges (Nexo Knights, Ninjago, Legends of Chima ...) by LEPIN.

Those who regularly buy these products on platforms like AliExpress know that to avoid customs trouble, the various sellers have only been sending the contents of the set by post for a long time.

No box containing the official visuals and displaying the logo on a red background of the LEPIN brand as well as a deliberately altered range name (STAR ​​PLAN, NEXU KNIGHTS, NINJASAGA, etc ...). The adulterated visuals are ultimately only used to promote products on sales platforms.

In short, even if LEPIN is forced to stop playing with words, customers should continue to snatch these products sold at a price much lower than that charged by LEGO. And if the mark were to disappear, another would take its place in the minute ...

This court decision was made public on July 14, but LEGO did not bother to communicate on this mini legal victory, deeming it probably derisory and already obsolete.

(seen on Customize Intelligence Minifigures who posted the judgment online)

Update : The posting of this information seems to worry LEGO who invokes a possible "negative influence on the court"and who declares for his part that it is only a judgment relating to jurisdiction (??) and that the proceedings have apparently not yet come to an end. The mark indicates that it will communicate on the subject once the final judgment has been rendered.