Do you spend time searching on Google about LEGO? You know you do! This means you probably already know… the Shanghai police raided the infamous LEGO counterfeiter company, Lepin, on April 23, 2019! Or, you might be like me, and didn’t even know until your husband told you the news… News is overrated. ;)
LEGO has been feeling the pain of Lepin counterfeiting their intellectual property for quite some time now. I can only image the force of LEGO moving through the economy far outweighed the movement of funds by Lepin… Surely the Chinese felt it was in their best interest to cater to LEGO and handle the issue of intellectual property theft as quickly as possible.
When I first heard of Lepin, it was through my brother who lives overseas. He is infamous for visiting the markets in China, looking for the best deals on electronics. Of course, when he saw something that looked similar to LEGO, he mentioned it to us right away. But you know us, we are purist at heart. So, we snubbed our noses at the thought of buying an off-brand… much less, a counterfeit, brick.
Makes me glad we never purchased any of the Lepin sets.
More information on the raid
If you read Chinese, you can find the full story here, as posted by the Shanghai police.
Also, there are also other websites that have covered the story in more detail:
- Cops in China bust gang behind fake Lego ‘brand’ Lepin – The Star Online
- Police raid Lepin factory; owner arrested – Brickset
- Everything Is Not Awesome For Chinese Company Busted For Selling Fake Legos – NPR
No raid photos here. Just information. However, if you want to see photos of the bust, check out the links above.
As expected, Lepin has announced they will no longer be manufacturing bricks. Yet, they will continue to sell their existing stock.
One last takeaway… and my favorite part about the announcement… The website claims this is “temporary”. Their CEO was taken away in handcuffs. I can’t image there is anything temporary about that.