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Crossposted to lugnet.mediawatch
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In lugnet.general, Adrian Egli writes:
> Got word of this on NPR:
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2679811.stm
BBC News Online
Tuesday, 21 January, 2003, 13:16 GMT
Lego Defeats the Chinese Pirates
* photo caption: Children first got their hands on Lego bricks in 1958
Danish toy-maker Lego Company has won a landmark court ruling in China to
protect its copyright against fake versions of its famous brick-shaped toys.
* photo caption: Lego's lawyer shows off the fakes
The Beijing High People's Court ruled in favour of Lego in a court battle which
began in 1999 after Lego spotted made-in-China copies of some of its castles
and pirate ship designs.
Lego said it was "the first time that the Chinese legal system has delivered a
judgment that confirms copyright protection of industrial design/applied art".
China pledged itself to uphold international patent laws when it joined the
World Trade Organisation in 2001 after 13 years of talks in which China's lax
copyright protection system often proved a sticking point.
'Remarkable ruling'
The court ruled that Coko Toy Company, based in the northern Chinese city of
Tianjin, must halt production of the items and turn over its moulds to court
officials to be destroyed, said Lego.
* photo caption: Boy wizard Harry Potter also fell under the fakers' spell
Coko was also ordered to publish an official apology in the Beijing Daily
newspaper and pay a fine to Lego, the Danish firm said.
"This is a remarkable ruling, which is sure to play an important role in the
future as more and more companies currently have to watch copies of their
products being sold in China," said Lego's lawyer Henrik Jacobsen.
In a BBC interview, Mr Jacobsen declined to say how much compensation Lego
would receive, though he described the fine as "pocket expenses".
The ruling found Lego's copyright over 33 out of 53 items in the case had been
infringed.
Lego is known for aggressively defending its copyright to the stick-together
bricks, whose success with children is partly a consequence of their simple
design.
Still suing
Lego said it was currently pursuing legal actions in Norway, Finland and
Denmark against importers of copy products from the same Chinese firm.
China's authorities have worked hard to create a framework of laws to protect
intellectual property rights, part of wider efforts to promote the authority of
the courts in commercial disputes.
Despite substantial progress, foreign analysts say there are still major
problems enforcing central government policy in China's huge provinces.
Double protection
The Beijing court judgement makes it possible to gain "double protection" under
Chinese law, Lego said on its website.
It allows the company to register its designs as well as gaining copyright
protection for the products involved in the court case.
Lego is not the only producer of children's toys and entertainment to encounter
problems in China; boy wizard Harry Potter also fell under the fakers' spell.
Last year, a copycat Harry Potter novel circulating via Beijing street markets
sparked a complaint from the agents for author JK Rowling.
- -
similar news stories
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030121/ap_wo_en_po/as_gen_c
hina_lego_1
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20030121/bs_dowjones/20
0301210641000411
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: LEGO wins in Chinese High Court
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| China Court Backs Lego Copyright Claim By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer January 21, 2003 BEIJING - As it opens to the world, China has vowed repeatedly to eliminate counterfeit and pirated products. The latest test of its commitment appears to (...) (21 years ago, 21-Jan-03, to lugnet.mediawatch)
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