Chinese firms ordered to stop selling Peppa Pig-themed toys after British firms win landmark copyright court ruling
Two Chinese businesses were told to stop making and selling a toy kitchen set using the image of the children’s favourite and to pay US$22,000 in fines for breaching makers’ intellectual property
Two Chinese companies have been ordered to stop producing and selling a toy that used the image of Peppa Pig after the first intellectual property case involving the popular children’s cartoon character.
Ye Shengnan, the judge who tried the case in eastern Zhejiang province’s Hangzhou Internet Court, also ordered the offending companies to pay the Peppa Pig character’s owners compensation of 150,000 yuan (US$22,000) for breach of copyright.
Wildly beloved by Chinese youngsters since its introduction to the country in 2015, the cartoon chronicles the adventures of Peppa, her family and friends. Its popularity has generated a raft of toys, clothes and other spin-off products.
The British companies filed for copyright infringement after discovering that Jufan Limited of Shantou, Guangdong province, was selling a toy kitchen set decorated with Peppa Pig images on its shop on Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao Marketplace, according to Ye. The kitchen set’s producer was Shantou-based Jiale Toys Industrial.
Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, owns the South China Morning Post.
“This case is a landmark in the way that it serves as a warning to the chaotic market, and it's the first ruling on production copyright infringement,” Ye said.
“These two companies have brought many lawsuits before, but these cases usually ended up being settled.”