Fake lego.com or unfare commerce.

[BatonMedved]

Hello dear fans and embassadors!

I would have never came to such a topic until I met a rarely disgusting behavior of one local company enrolled in lego products retail.

Well, I`m talking about the Kindermix. As you can easily figure out they are using the original lego.com pattern, nearly copied one can say. As you already know TLG has prohibited using of it`s name and logo by third-party organisations without special permission. Moreover, the Kindermix has close relationship with the local TLG branch which can embarass you at all.

All this could not be as bad as it is now if this site hadn`t been pretending being an official Lego shop, which can deceive small children who believe this to be true.

I ventured to post this here because The Embassy is our last chance to attract attention to this terms and conditions violation as our numerous mails to official global and local support didn`t have any impact.

Thank for your comprehension.

Sincerely yours,

BM.

Edited February 11, 2010 by BatonMedved

[Darth Legolas]

When I switch it to English, it is the Lego website, with my homepage. This is in some weird language that starts with a P, and has Kindermix above it, but when I re-route it from Lego's website, it's the same URL and the same website.

Go to Lego.com> Select P.... whatever, right under Portugal, and Lego directly links there.

Seems to be some form of Russian, but it's part of Lego!

Edited February 11, 2010 by Darth Legolas

[BatonMedved]

When I switch it to English, it is the Lego website, with my homepage. This is in some weird language that starts with a P, and has Kindermix above it, but when I re-route it from Lego's website, it's the same URL and the same website.

Go to Lego.com> Select P.... whatever, right under Portugal, and Lego directly links there.

Seems to be some form of Russian, but it's part of Lego!

This lies the rub. Russian version of LEGO Shop doesn`t exist. Switching the country just redirects you to original lego.com site.

[Darth Legolas]

This lies the rub. Russian version of LEGO Shop doesn`t exist. Switching the country just redirects you to original lego.com site.

That makes a little more sense... but I'm still confused. That might explain why when you switch to English you can't get back to Russian. It's very well organized for an illegal site though.

Well I hope someone besides me notices this topic soon!

[MetroiD]

There IS no sense here, Darth. Kindermix are obviously trying to make their website look like the LEGO official site in hopes of deceiving people into thinking that they are or at least, that they represent LEGO in Russia. Even if they do represent LEGO in Russia as their official distributors, they still should not be copying the layout of the official LEGO website 1:1. TLG does not run operations on its own in Russia, so this is simply deceiving and wrong.

[prateek]

Oh, sneaky sneaky. This should be reported if this isn't real.

[Fugazi]

And they sell funny stuff too...

Edited February 11, 2010 by space6901

[prateek]

And they sell funny stuff too...

Oh, wow. Now they have Lego Licenced PaB in Russia now

[CMP]

Hmm...not sure if it's fake or not...

[EspEth12]

. Someones going to be hearing from Lego if this is fake and they find out.

[Tom Bricks]

Regardless of wether or not it is fake do you think it works? Sadly their "PAB" selection is what TLC's should be, they have almost every piece there.

Here's

the sight translated to English

Edited February 12, 2010 by Tom Bricks

[jonwil]

Can anyone confirm if Руб really translates to USD? And whether the prices they claim are what one would expect to pay in Russia?

123.00 for the fireman impulse? In the US you could get the entire fire station for that price...

EDIT:

Futher messing with the translation suggests that the prices are in Rubles and not USD (which would make more sense)

Also, the site www.mindstorms.su seems connected with this site.

Edited February 12, 2010 by jonwil

[CopMike]

Issue being looked into - thanks for the info !

[Legoman]

I just checked out this site. It's... weird, to say the least. It'd be intresting if you could pass on the knowledge you find Copmike... Cheers!

[CopMike]

No answer yet from TLG but this is what Igor Makarov, a Russian Afol, wrote in the Ambassador forum:

Hello,

since the shop mentioned in the first post supports "Phantoms" LUG i think i have some information...

As far as I understand LEGO was informed on the design of the shop's website.

And some additional information on Russian LEGO market:

- at the moment LEGO does not sells anything directly to consumers - no S@H, no official LEGO stores (actually, I could bring thousands demands here... As we did told to Jan). This means no LEGO Direct sets, no exclusives, no pick-a-brick

- LEGO sets are sold by major retailer "Detskii Mir" and in "METRO cash&carry" centers. LEGO has 1 exclusive distributer in Russia, who work with private shops (LEGO-dedicated or multi-brand)

The shop called KinderMix is the only shop in the whole Russia (we have population of 130 mil. people, not bears!) that sells pick-a-brick items, minifigures and even tries to bring exclusives (as long LEGO do not supply these sets to our country is "legal".

So this is definetely not fake lego.com, since it's clearly says it's kindermix.ru) and it's not "unfare" commerce. It's typical in Russia that a retailer (car dealer, single-brand shop) use brand's logo on the website to attract attention, telling customers they can find the brand's products there.

I can't speak for the shop's owner (may be he'll reply on your request... Or Jan will answer here), but the above should give you a quick picture of our market .

As far as I know LEGO Russia permits using LEGO logo for this purpose. At least it does now. Things can change. For example, using "lego" as the part of the name of a store/web address has been prohibited in Russia recently.

Any questions are welcome.

I´ll be back when TLG has something to add .

[BatonMedved]

Well, it`s a good statement from Igor Makarov with whom I had personally met, but this doesn`t explain why the overall style and design is copied in such an accurate manner, not just only the logo is the case.

[MetroiD]

Just for reference - the situation here in Bulgaria regarding LEGO's distribution channels is the same. LEGO products in the country are only distributed by their official partners, whose customer service is absolutely intolerable, not to mention their pricing policy. A new LEGO shop, however, was founded about a year ago, and it is providing pick-a-brick service, as well as a huge variety of sets that the official distributor does not supply, along with many Exclusives. I firmly believe that the existence of this shop has helped liven up the LEGO scene in Bulgaria and it shows.

That said, the important thing here is that the website I'm talking about bears no resemblance whatsoever to LEGO.com's layout or styling. Which is precisely why I personally see the case discussed here as copyright infringement and a perfect example of unfair business - even if that store has actually had a positive influence on the Russian LEGO community.

[wmanidi]

This is what I found. It looks real.

Since 1997, we represent in Russia Danish production company «LEGO Group», which is a global leader in the market of children's toys - designer LEGO /

Our company is one of the first in Russia was engaged in wholesale and retail sale of LEGO. For over 12 years, we are a single-brand company (sell only one brand - LEGO).

In August 2000 we opened our own brand shop LEGO, which provides a full range of designers "LEGO". Shop different and a modern design and the lowest retail prices.

For the convenience of our customers in the same year introduced a new service - courier delivery.

November 7, 2001 at st. Bratislava д.22 opened our sales office designers Lego exhibition hall with the largest in Russia, where it became possible to buy LEGO wholesale and retail.

The office is always a full range of the current year and the most popular models of previous years.

Since February 2003 we began to give our customers a club card that gives you special offers and bonuses for its owners and a 5% discount.

In March 2003, we introduced a new service for our clients: the delivery of LEGO sets in the regions of Russia and CIS countries via our partner courier company "Pony Express". This year, the service we do not have, but we hope that it will soon resume.

Since 2006 in our office before the system Pick-a-Brick - LEGO bricks are of different shapes, sizes and colors, mini-figures from different series and accessories sold to them by the piece and by weight.

Due to long-term cooperation with the LEGO Company and the direct supply, a small but very friendly team, we can offer our customers the best terms and lowest prices on products the company "LEGO".

In mid 2009, our company has been renamed from LEGOMIX in KINDERMIX.

At the same time was completely changed our corporate website www.kindermix.ru

For us, the roads and appreciate every customer who applied to our company, the company KINDERMIX.

We guarantee individual approach and the opportunity to purchase branded sets of Lego at the lowest prices.

Our address: Moscow street. Bratislava, 22 upper floor office "LEGO" contact phone: (495) 795-2464 or (495) 347-8-347

Working hours: Every day, seven days a week and a break from 10 to 20

This office was opened specially for you!

[MetroiD]

This is what I found. It looks real.

It's fairly obvious that the company is real, and that's it's also providing LEGO fans in Russia with a wide variety of sets. It's the fact that it has almost entirely copied the official LEGO site that's being discussed as 'unfair commerce" here.

[Hor]

FYI - there is one more "site in the question":

http://www.mindstorms.su

Registered for Kindermix, design copied from official site, provides links to both, lego.com and Kindermix shop. Very similar case.

[jim-stock]

there are copyright laws which help in protecting identity and they can be sued for using logo

[Pvt. Ryan]

That's russian, that's lego!

[Cap Toys Bricks]

I am in Russia right now!!! I now that website.

It is only in the russian version and it has that that one red lego minifigure but with no design.

it says kindermix on it to.

and english

[Legobricks+flicklego]

Kindermix.ru поддельный сайт лего?

[Legobricks+flicklego]

Can anyone confirm if Руб really translates to USD? And whether the prices they claim are what one would expect to pay in Russia?

123.00 for the fireman impulse? In the US you could get the entire fire station for that price...

EDIT:

Futher messing with the translation suggests that the prices are in Rubles and not USD (which would make more sense)

Also, the site www.mindstorms.su seems connected with this site.

In Russia, they use rubles.

thats what Pyb stands for.