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CHINESE POLICE HAVE dismantled a ring accused of manufacturing some $30 million worth of counterfeit Lego sold across the country.
Police earlier this week raided the premises of Lepin — a Chinese toymaker manufacturing Lego knockoffs in the southern city of Shenzhen — arresting four people, Shanghai police said yesterday.
“In October 2018, the Shanghai police found that Lepin building blocks available on the market were extremely similar to that of Lego,” the statement said.
The toys were copied from Lego blueprints and sent to a factory in Shenzhen to be manufactured before they were sold all over China.
“Across more than 10 assembly lines, over 90 moulds had been produced… (police seized) some 630,000 completed pieces worth more than 200 million yuan ($30 million),” the statement said.
Images from raid — posted on official law enforcement social media accounts — showed moulds and boxes that looked remarkably similar to lines produced by the Danish toy giant.
A Star Wars knock-off is called “Star Plan”, while sets released in conjunction with the new “Lego Movie 2″ have also been copied and sold under the name “The Lepin Bricks 2″.
The counterfeit products could be a safety concern for consumers, said Lego’s China and Asia Pacific vice president Robin Smith, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Foreign companies have long complained about lax intellectual property enforcement in China where counterfeiting is rampant.
In an attempt to end its trade war with Washington, Beijing has pledged to clamp down on intellectual property infringements.
The Danish toy giant in February opened its first flagship store in Beijing — which features replicas of the Forbidden City made of plastic bricks — and has two other shops in Shanghai.
Lego has in recent years seen a renewed popularity thanks to premium collectors’ editions and a movie tie-up.
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Star Plan??? Featuring Luke Sky Worker who travels the galatic mounting Sky TV dishes at a very reasonable price.
@Luke Lee: The Debt Star…..
@Luke Lee: Luke sky wok …
I’d say the manufacturers now are brickin’ it
@Tom Nolan: class
@Tom Nolan: I clicked the link precisely to see how early in the comment thread someone made that joke
“Rego”
@David Daly: just about acceptable I think
@David Daly: hahaha
@David Daly: you are confusing Chinese with Japanese people. Irish people don’t like to be “confused” with British people.
@Vincent: how silly of me. And to think all these years I was going around like a big eegit thinking they were chinese. Thanks so much for clarifying.
Glad the officials have been able to piece this together
Is this true or just a load of blocks?
I thought learning to create your own was the whole point… :)
took a while to build a case
The puns are getting atrocious! Time to Lego and move on…
Break it up,break it up,nothing to see here
The ring leaders are in pieces now…
Sounds like a joke but this is big big business
@Ronan McDermott: I don’t get it
@Tony Donoghue: go on Wish.com and type in “Lego”.
一切都很棒
@Seán C: well said
Lads, just build a wall will ye?
No one constructive comment……
@John Brophy: Some fakin’ awful ones to be sure..
Bought some of this on Wish, didn’t know it was fake, best fakes I’ve ever seen. The Chinese, a great bunch of lads
Company has now been renamed..Leg It
Somebody call Emmett
Somebody refused to make a donation to the Shenzhen’s policemen’s retirement fund…
Police are working hard to put the case together… piece by piece…
Best thing about smashing a fake Lego ring is you can make something else with the pieces
Robbery that sssstufff
They done well to piece that together.
You couldn’t make it up!
Johnny Keane – u could make it up it comes with instructions
@The Red Devil:
@The Red Devil: hahaha
:)
They “dismantled” a fake lego ring bah ha ha very good
Reports have it that the snitch turned out to working for a rival Duplo cartel
Took 3 reads to grasp that headline.
Looks like it’s all gone to pieces for them now :(
But do they hurt like hell if you step on one?!
I dont own any – but was tempted as they make rare sets which are long discontinued by lego and by youtube reviews the quality is excellent. Much better then megablocks etc.
Something didn’t sit right..
I just ordered a lepin technics from AliExpress.. here’s hoping it arrives.
Great headline.
“china police” ? is this a new version of the ‘terracotta army’ !
One way to recycle those toxic plastics I suppose, with children ending up putting those fake goods right into their mouths?
Anyone old enough to remember Airfix Betta Bilda? It was the poor relation of Lego. No? Jaysus, I’m getting way too old…
Luke I’m not ur father I’m a fake da DNA TEST NEEDED
How is it possible even,to make a ring out of lego? Thought that the blocks are square.
I heard a fake Christie Moore song yesterday in Beijing. It’s called Night Prayer by Iridio
have your say