Warning vs fake Lego toys aired

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has warned the public about purchasing counterfeit LEGO toys following the recent seizure of P6.2 million worth of fake LEGO toys in Mindanao.

Last July, the National Bureau of Investigation's IP Rights Division hauled over 2,000 boxes of copycat LEGO products worth about P6.2 million at a mall in Mindanao.

The LEGO products bore copyright-protected designs and images of LEGO A/S and mark identical or confusingly similar to the marks of LEGO Juris A/S.

"With the sizable haul of the NBI-IPRD, we urge the public to take heightened caution in buying LEGO products and make sure that they transact only with legitimate LEGO stores and verified accounts on e-commerce platforms," IP Rights Enforcement Office officer-in-charge Ann N. Edillon said.

Edillon, however, admitted that there are still citizens that patronize cheap and substandard products.

"The low price will always be an attractive selling point to any consumer. But wise consumers, especially parents, should always consider quality, durability and especially the safety of the toys and products their children use," Edillon said, adding that the IPOPHL aggressively warns against the economic and safety risks of patronizing counterfeits as it works closely with the Department of Trade and Industry on consumer education.

"LEGO products are made of materials of the highest quality and we prioritize consumer safety. We want to ensure that parents and children who buy our toys, get a product of impeccable quality that lives up to the strictest safety standards," said Atty. Franklin Galman, LEGO Group's IP Rights Corporate Legal Counsel for the Asia Pacific Region.

But infringing products do not follow quality control standards and "are usually manufactured under unsanitary conditions," according to Galman.

Their threats to consumer health compel companies like the LEGO Group to take "a zero-tolerance approach" against infringers.

"We cannot compromise a child's safety; that's why we go after copycats and counterfeits… We always respect and welcome fair competition, but when someone disregards our IP rights and abuses our consumers' trust, we take the necessary steps to protect both our brand and our consumers," Galman added, noting they are looking into other markets in the country that reported selling more LEGO copycats.