Hello my friends :) !

I guess that all here are aware to the increasing phenomenon of the rise of Chinese counterfeits LEGO, phenomenon that kills the pleasure in searching for buying and selling LEGO online, especially on ebay.

LEGO are doing their job in fighting those Chinese counterfeits company's by Courts and lawsuits in China, but we all know it's kind of useless..

We contact ebay about this matter and what they Said is that their people are trying to search for counterfeits items, but in order to make things More efficient, they asking for the customers of ebay to report on an item if we see it's a fake on.

They also Mentioned that they are well aware that if one or two will report it, the processes time for them to check the item list and to remove it will be slow, but if they will see that lot of customers complains on an item, they are immediately taking action.

Therefor, and in order to make things More efficient, we have opened the official organisation against counterfeits LEGO Facebook page - which is basically a Facebook fan page of LEGO but in that page we can post the links of the fake LEGO list that all of us find on ebay and then all of us can report it, rather then the current situation that each one report on the list he finds, but no one else did..

We are now almost 5,000 members !

So here is the link to the Facebook page - and you are all welcome to take action and fight with us :) !

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lego-Guardians/967324963293876

i don't know if buying likes on a Facebook page is gonna help your cause...

Also, some clarity:

Are you going only against business sellers presenting their product as LEGO as deliberate ploy to mislead buyers or will you also be targeting misinformed private sellers who have no clue what the bricks they are selling are?

Are you only targeting bootleg sets, wherein the 'brand' replicates set designs, box graphics and branding trying to cause confusion with actual LEGO products?

This is all well and good in principle but I really can't see it working.

Regardless of how many people report however many sets you find I can't see how the eBay process will be any quicker.

If they say that 2 people reporting a counterfeit set will be slow I don't see how bombarding them with links is going to make things any faster.

The staff in the department doing the work can only look into one submission at a time unless they employ many more people which I can't see happening.

Don't get me wrong, I admire what you're trying to do it's just that I don't think this is the best way go about it but nor do I know what is.

Just my opinion.

Also.

Also, some clarity:

Are you going only against business sellers presenting their product as LEGO as deliberate ploy to mislead buyers or will you also be targeting misinformed private sellers who have no clue what the bricks they are selling are?

Are you only targeting bootleg sets, wherein the 'brand' replicates set designs, box graphics and branding trying to cause confusion with actual LEGO products?

Very good point.

Edited September 15, 201410 yr by grum64

If they say that 2 people reporting a counterfeit set will slow things down I don't see how bombarding them with links is going to make things any faster.

Is that really what eBay says? Any person with half a brain would design the system to increase the priority of a case if multiple (clearly distinct) people report an item.

PS — I find it ironic that the "Lego Guardians" Facebook page features a photo of a clone brand.

That's all very nice, but I'm already a member of the official organisation against counterfeit Kiddicraft

This is all well and good in principle but I really can't see it working.

Regardless of how many people report however many sets you find I can't see how the eBay process will be any quicker.

If they say that 2 people reporting a counterfeit set will be slow I don't see how bombarding them with links is going to make things any faster.

The staff in the department doing the work can only look into one submission at a time unless they employ many more people which I can't see happening.

Don't get me wrong, I admire what you're trying to do it's just that I don't think this is the best way go about it but nor do I know what is.

Just my opinion.

Also.

Very good point.

What ebay said is that regarding to trademark policy, they have a priority to the reporting lists, cause they gets thousands of reports per day, and it takes hours to go through on them.. so because of that - if they receiving lot of reports on a Single list, it gets high priority and they immediately review it.

Sp This is the whole idea of the facebook page - to cause a lot of reports on every counterfeit list.

And about how will be target - those who sells those counterfeit LEGO without knowing they counterfeit are not on our sights, they are innocent, and its easy to tell if a seller is innocent or a crook..

Those crooks will be reported - it's easy to tell who they are, like they will be from China, be listed it under LEGO category so it will coms up in the search result when you searching for LEGO but their title wont say the word LEGO..

Not sure how anything is "official" if you don't actually work for LEGO. Generally, the only ones who can claim copyright and trademark protection (and violation) is the actual holder of those copyrights and trademarks.

It's like reporting violations to YouTube. If your not the artist or designated legal representation thereof, you can report until your fingers bleed and they won't do a thing.

Not sure how anything is "official" if you don't actually work for LEGO. Generally, the only ones who can claim copyright and trademark protection (and violation) is the actual holder of those copyrights and trademarks.

It's like reporting violations to YouTube. If your not the artist or designated legal representation thereof, you can report until your fingers bleed and they won't do a thing.

Wrong my friend. Fans do have the rights to report on fake products been sold.

Wrong my friend. Fans do have the rights to report on fake products been sold.

rollermonkey isn't saying you don't have the right to report on fake products, he is questioning the use of the word "official" in your organization. What makes it "official?"

Yes, that, and the likelihood of getting any reaction out of the government agencies that police such matters.

You can report all you want, anybody can call the police. But getting them to respond to a suspected break-in three blocks away from you is another thing entirely.

It's a noble idea, but a Facebook page isn't going to accomplish 1% of what the legal team for TLG can.

Edited September 15, 201410 yr by rollermonkey

Is there even such a thing as "counterfeit lego" when courts have already ruled that other companies are allowed to produce these types of bricks?

In 2010, it was ruled that the original lego brick design (4x2 brick) couldn't be trademarked due to merely preforming a technical function. While I'm sure LEGO could take lego could take legal action if specialized parts they held the trademarks for were used, the can't do anything if it's just standard bricks and plates.

Seems to be a pointless, and somewhat stupid movement out of brand loyalty if ask me.

Edited September 16, 201410 yr by Jetrax99

but these are not sold solely on ebay

Is there even such a thing as "counterfeit lego" when courts have already ruled that other companies are allowed to produce these types of bricks?

I think there may be a few newer parts that TLG still has protection on, but most of the bricks aren't covered by patents anymore, it's true.

I think what they are going after is imitation of actual complete sets, for one, and products TLG has the license for (like superheroes).

Thirdly, Ebay needs to go after idiot sellers who call their stuff LEGO when it's not. "LEGO compatible" is one thing, but calling it "LEGO" when it's not is entirely different.

PS — I find it ironic that the "Lego Guardians" Facebook page features a photo of a clone brand.

It's:

A) Ironic

B) Hypocritical

C) Ignorant

D) All of the above

What ebay said is that regarding to trademark policy, they have a priority to the reporting lists, cause they gets thousands of reports per day, and it takes hours to go through on them.. so because of that - if they receiving lot of reports on a Single list, it gets high priority and they immediately review it.

Sp This is the whole idea of the facebook page - to cause a lot of reports on every counterfeit list.

And about how will be target - those who sells those counterfeit LEGO without knowing they counterfeit are not on our sights, they are innocent, and its easy to tell if a seller is innocent or a crook..

Those crooks will be reported - it's easy to tell who they are, like they will be from China, be listed it under LEGO category so it will coms up in the search result when you searching for LEGO but their title wont say the word LEGO..

I think it is wrong to target Chinese people on this. Yes, a lot of the fakes are made there but what stops an American or a Welshman or a German from selling them as you have described? Really though, I think you should leave listings alone that say "LEGO COMPATIBLE" in the title as people should know that compatible means that it works with LEGO but isn't actually LEGO.

While you're off on your crusade you'll have to report any customiser that sells a figure that utilises a design produced by Lego, such as those used in games, that hasn't been released by Lego... or any other likeness held by a license holder.

These are also producing figures that, although printed on Lego, break many copyright laws against Lego as well as the license holders such as Marvel and DC.

These same customisers are considered to offer a service to Lego fans in giving them many figures that may never see the light of day and as such fill out their collection. These customisers are also part of a community that support each other and buy each other's figures allowing each other to continue in their venture to offer unique figures.

By the way... these customisers I mentioned produced the figures that you've used as your avatar on the FB page. But don't let that stop you...

I've bought clone brand Lego figures... take SDCC figures for example... where is it in Lego's interest to stop someone selling a Phoenix SDCC clone for £2 when the only other alternative is to buy a genuine one from a scalper for £200? Why not buy the clone and then put £198 back into Lego's coffers by buying genuine Lego sets? I'd never think of picking up a full set of an obviously cloned official Lego set (such as some of the Superhero range and now the Microfighters SW sets) but if someone is producing decent quality figures that Lego isn't... then I'm interested. It leaves me more money to buy the Lego stuff I want. If Lego made the figures in the first place I wouldn't be looking.

I think that's what most people here do... at least those that have picked up any of the clone brands minifigures themselves.

I agree with you man.

I'm doing mosaics and I see that not all tiles I buy are original, but, if they grab proberly, of course I save money when I buy 10000 tiles. We are speaking of half prices or even less.

While you're off on your crusade you'll have to report any customiser that sells a figure that utilises a design produced by Lego, such as those used in games, that hasn't been released by Lego... or any other likeness held by a license holder.

These are also producing figures that, although printed on Lego, break many copyright laws against Lego as well as the license holders such as Marvel and DC.

These same customisers are considered to offer a service to Lego fans in giving them many figures that may never see the light of day and as such fill out their collection. These customisers are also part of a community that support each other and buy each other's figures allowing each other to continue in their venture to offer unique figures.

By the way... these customisers I mentioned produced the figures that you've used as your avatar on the FB page. But don't let that stop you...

I've bought clone brand Lego figures... take SDCC figures for example... where is it in Lego's interest to stop someone selling a Phoenix SDCC clone for £2 when the only other alternative is to buy a genuine one from a scalper for £200? Why not buy the clone and then put £198 back into Lego's coffers by buying genuine Lego sets? I'd never think of picking up a full set of an obviously cloned official Lego set (such as some of the Superhero range and now the Microfighters SW sets) but if someone is producing decent quality figures that Lego isn't... then I'm interested. It leaves me more money to buy the Lego stuff I want. If Lego made the figures in the first place I wouldn't be looking.

I think that's what most people here do... at least those that have picked up any of the clone brands minifigures themselves.

While you're off on your crusade you'll have to report any customiser that sells a figure that utilises a design produced by Lego, such as those used in games, that hasn't been released by Lego... or any other likeness held by a license holder.

These are also producing figures that, although printed on Lego, break many copyright laws against Lego as well as the license holders such as Marvel and DC.

These same customisers are considered to offer a service to Lego fans in giving them many figures that may never see the light of day and as such fill out their collection. These customisers are also part of a community that support each other and buy each other's figures allowing each other to continue in their venture to offer unique figures.

By the way... these customisers I mentioned produced the figures that you've used as your avatar on the FB page. But don't let that stop you...

I've bought clone brand Lego figures... take SDCC figures for example... where is it in Lego's interest to stop someone selling a Phoenix SDCC clone for £2 when the only other alternative is to buy a genuine one from a scalper for £200? Why not buy the clone and then put £198 back into Lego's coffers by buying genuine Lego sets? I'd never think of picking up a full set of an obviously cloned official Lego set (such as some of the Superhero range and now the Microfighters SW sets) but if someone is producing decent quality figures that Lego isn't... then I'm interested. It leaves me more money to buy the Lego stuff I want. If Lego made the figures in the first place I wouldn't be looking.

I think that's what most people here do... at least those that have picked up any of the clone brands minifigures themselves.

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