Chinese court upholds prison terms in Lego counterfeit case

A court has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a Chinese entrepreneur who made unlicensed copies of Lego toy blocks valued at $46 million

BEIJING — A court in China has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a Chinese entrepreneur who made unlicensed copies of Lego toy blocks valued at 300 million yuan ($46 million).

The Higher People’s Court in Shanghai also upheld a 90 million yuan ($14 million) fine imposed on the entrepreneur, identified only by his surname, Li, according to a court announcement.

The appeals court also upheld sentences ranging from 3 to 4 1/2 years for eight other defendants.

Starting in 2015, Li and the other defendants set up a factory that made copies of Lego bricks and toys and sold them under the brand name Leping, the court said.

The Shanghai court concluded the offense was an “especially serious” violation of copyright law and rejected their appeal.