Lego wins copying case
1 March 2003
Lego, the Danish maker of the famous children's building blocks, has won a case against a Chinese company it had accused of copying its products, Dow Jones reported. The Beijing High People's Court ruled that Coko Toy Co of Tianjin must stop making the copies, turn over the equipment used to make them, make a public apology and pay compensation. Lego's lawyers said that this was the first time a Chinese court had confirmed copyright protection of industrial design. Though the amount of financial compensation was largely symbolic, the order to cease production was significant as Coko was selling its copies in Lego's home European market, where the company is pursuing separate court actions in several countries.
