Here’s some fun news coming out of China via The Brick Fan. Chinese police have raided a number of factories used by Lepin to create their knock-off LEGO® sets. For a number of years now the LEGO Group has been waging an ongoing war against Chinese companies who have repeatedly stolen product designs and artwork of almost every new LEGO set that is released. Although the boxart is lifted from genuine LEGO sets, logos are tweaked and the bricks in the boxes are cheaply made, inferior products, which do not pass the same quality and safety standards as a real LEGO product. Shanghai Police have raided three Lepin warehouses, where four people were arrested, including a boss at Lepin. Police confiscated 90 production molds and around 630,000 finished products equated to more than £23 million value. China is a hotbed for knock-off brands, making it extremely difficult for companies to get these sort of actions to go in their favour. But with the LEGO Group investing heavily brand awareness in the country, as well as opening Brand Retail stores and working with Chinese companies to bring LEGO branded content to digital platforms, the Chinese government seems to be helping LEGO to pursue legal against companies like Lepin. Hopefully this will also help to stop the company from stealing LEGO fans MOC designs as well. See more here.
28th April 2019
One of the top stories on BBC News and heavily described on the new on Radio 2. Never thought I’d hear Lepin related terms like Star Plan on national radio. They’re also describing Lepin as financed by a gang, meaning it sounds like Lepin might be a bit more sinister (although it might be just the technical term.)
But very exciting news, and very welcome news as well.
28th April 2019
I’ve alway thought it was a proper company, but from the look of the images of the workshop and the wording of the stories it would seem they are a shany backroom operation, either way glad actual action has been taken