Counterfeit raid and arrest

[GoktimusPrime]

Shanghai police raided "Lepin" counterfeit Lego factory (https://toy-wizards.com/2019/04/26/shanghai-police-bust-lepin-toys-in-30m-dollar-bootleg-lego-crime-raid/) and arrested owner (https://brickset.com/article/43475/police-raid-lepin-factory-owner-arrested).

#fullydeserved

[Raptormesh]

Finally.

[Trent]

Put a lot of people out of work by the look of it.

[Raptormesh]

Maybe they can design their own original toys and sell those instead.

[Trent]

Unlikely the shop workers have that sort of skill. And ring leader is going to jail.

[GoktimusPrime]

The workers are basically victims of exploitation which is probably why they're not being charged or prosecuted but rather their bosses are facing gaol time. It's part of the insidiousness of bootlegging; the victims aren't just the end consumers or the company that owns the IP but also the workers too. Makes me hate these <people.born.to.unwed.parents> even more.

I hope that the workers will find new jobs soon in a more honest line of work. I suspect that many of these workers are from rural parts of China with low levels of education, so their options aren't the greatest. Doesn't excuse illegal manufacturers from exploiting them though.

[Omega Supreme]

It would be nice to see it stopped completely, hate having to explain to my kids the difference between real and fake Lego each time we see a seller set up at the markets but unfortunately there always seems to be another company starting up to produce their own KO's.

[Jetfire in the sky]

I can't stand Lepin, I've seen genuine Lego popularity really grow in the last 10 years in China so it's great this company has been taken down, hopefully for good.

[GoktimusPrime]

It would be nice to see it stopped completely, hate having to explain to my kids the difference between real and fake Lego each time we see a seller set up at the markets but unfortunately there always seems to be another company starting up to produce their own KO's.
When my daughter was about 6 told me that she'd found knock off Transformers at Myer. This confused me for ages until we were at Target once and she showed me that "knock offs" that she'd seen before. They were the Robot In Disguise Crash Combiners. :D I told her that they were legit and she said, ("But they look like knock offs") - can you blame her? :p
https://i.ibb.co/XVHCKSq/temp.jpg

[Trent]

The workers are basically victims of exploitation which is probably why they're not being charged or prosecuted but rather their bosses are facing gaol time. It's part of the insidiousness of bootlegging; the victims aren't just the end consumers or the company that owns the IP but also the workers too. Makes me hate these <people.born.to.unwed.parents> even more.

I hope that the workers will find new jobs soon in a more honest line of work. I suspect that many of these workers are from rural parts of China with low levels of education, so their options aren't the greatest. Doesn't excuse illegal manufacturers from exploiting them though.

I feel sorry for the bootleggers too in a way. The Chinese government for many decades now has supported KOs in every industry as it created employment. So not only was it allowed, it was actively encouraged. I mean, look at the KO cars (https://www.digitalgrog.com.au/gadgets/chinas-infamous-world-class-car-fakes/). The only reason that the government is now beginning to allow companies to enforce the protection of their IP is because they are worried that companies will pack up their manufacturing and move a cheaper country. So the ringleaders of these KO companies are really just scapegoats to satisfy our ever rampant consumerism.

[GoktimusPrime]

So the ringleaders of these KO companies are really just scapegoats to satisfy our ever rampant consumerism.
I don't think that excuses them for what they do, but I do take your point about ethical consumer practice having a role to play too. This is why I will personally never support unlicensed products, because you're right, no demand = no supply.

[Raptormesh]

I for one think that the ringleaders know damn well what they were doing along with the risks. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...eventually.