A PYMNTS Company

Bulgaria: Regulator rejects LEGO’s complaint

 |  November 18, 2019

Bulgaria’s competition authority announced on Monday, November 18, that it has rejected a complaint over alleged product imitation filed by Danish toys and games manufacturer Lego System, part of LEGO Group, against local toys retailer OMI-2004.

The antitrust body has found no evidence of unlawful competition practices as the two companies are operating on separate markets – Lego System is a manufacturer, while Sofia-based OMI-2004 is a distributor, the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) said in a statement. 

According to the claimant, OMI-2004’s construction toys of the brands BELA, LY, LEPIN, KSZ, and Tenma are an imitation of its LEGO construction toys and thus the defendant violates the copyrights held by Denmark-based LEGO Juris, another subsidiary of LEGO Group.

OMI-2004’s operations on the Bulgarian market may have a harmful impact on the demand for LEGO toys on that market, as the prices of OMI-2004 products are half those of the original toys, LEGO System claims.

Full Content: See News

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.