Today I want to introduce a new segment of The LEGO Maniac blog, we are going to simply call it "Brick Talk". In these segments we will talk over different issues regarding LEGO, the LEGO community, and other relevant topics. I hope that, through these segments, we can help clarify and educate the LEGO Community on current issues.
In this edition of Brick Talk, I want to address the topic of Knockoffs, 3rd Party products, and why we should even care. Believe it or not, the issue of Knockoff LEGO Products is actually a very big issue and has ramifications that run deeper than most realize. As is, you see this topic brought up in LEGO Facebook groups, Pages and on Reddit and other social media platforms. Usually the term "Knockoff", "Fake", "Flego", "Fake LEGO", and "3rd Party" are used fairly interchangeably. Also, a number of AFOL's argue rather heatedly over whether you should buy Fake LEGO or even have them in your collection. But I find that a majority of these arguments are born out of either a misunderstanding of the term and/or a lack of understanding on why this is an actual issue in the LEGO community.
Before we get too far into this, like in any official debate, you must first define your terms. We will start with the term "Knockoff". A Knockoff or Fake LEGO is a product that is made to mimic or imitate an already existing LEGO product. In essence, it violates LEGO's copyright or patents on their product. Companies that have been found guilty of this include CoCo Toy Co., Best Lock, BanBao, Lakeshore Learning Materials, and the most infamous of all, Lepin. While many people have their own names for these LEGO copycats, the most common names seen around the web are "Fake LEGO, "Knockoffs", "LEGO Clones", and "Flego".
A 3rd-Party or "LEGO Compatible" brand are ones that are made to work alongside LEGO products, but manage to not violate any of LEGO's copyrights or patents. Some, such as the accessory-manufacturing Brickarms, are actually endorsed by LEGO. Other 3rd-Party brands are MEGA (MegaBlok), BrickForge, MAX Build More, and Make-It Bloks.
Now that we have our terms properly defined, one may ask "So? Whats the big deal?" First off, to make the position of the LEGO Maniac known, we do not condone the trading/purchasing of Fake LEGO. It is ethically wrong and a violation of not just LEGO's patents and copyright, but its stealing profit from the creators and builders who put the time and effort into making the official LEGO sets we all know and love. 3rd-Party products, however, we see nothing wrong with. While we push to keep our pages and groups as LEGO-centric as possible since, after all, we are the "LEGO" Maniac and are dedicated to the LEGO Community and Brand. But LEGO does not make everything, such as military weapons and certain Video Game and Movie franchises. So if other brands have decided to step up and (legally) fill in the gaps LEGO has intentionally left in their product lines, we will not complain. And utilizing some 3rd-Party parts can add a unique element to your MOC that sets you apart from other builders.
That being said, there is more to this than our personal belief and a simple matter of ethics. Whether it is because of the time and effort LEGO has put into their product or for some other reason, genuine LEGO product from almost any era of its existence has proven to be of much greater quality than most of the 3rd-party brands out there. Fit of the pieces, quality of the plastics, quality of the molds used, LEGO seems to do everything better than the other guys. Even against other big-name brands such as MegaBloks and even Playmobil, LEGO has managed to keep their quality a step above the competitors. And this alone is the greatest argument for buying genuine LEGO over other products.
The other argument for buying genuine LEGO and not Knockoffs in particular, is that Fake LEGO undermines the value of the genuine article in a very unique way. It actually drives up the price of LEGO for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the more Fake LEGO companies out there selling knockoff LEGO products, the more time and money LEGO has to spend shutting them down, and then boosting their own product marketing and selling points in order to make up for the profit lost to these knockoff companies. The more time and money they need to put into protecting the intellectual rights of their company and their employees, the more money they need to put into legal action, and the more money and manpower they need to put towards making up the difference in profit. So yes, while the cost of resources, manufacturing and shipping has increased and raised prices along with it, the existence of counterfeit products also has had a huge part to play.
So there we go, we hope this helps clear up the difference between Fake LEGO/Knockoffs and 3rd Party Products. And we hope you understand why it is so important to take the stand against Knockoffs. At the same time, we hope this understanding maybe lessens some of the judgment against those who use 3rd-Party LEGO-compatible products.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comment's section or send us a message. Also, check us out on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092932727610&mibextid=LQQJ4d
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