Pop Mart has picked up a quiet but important win in China, with a court awarding around RMB 10,000 in damages against a seller of unauthorized “Labubu” replicas. The defendant didn’t even bother to show up and there was no clear proof of financial loss, but the court still found infringement, focusing on the unauthorized copying and online sale of the design.
The backdrop here is pretty clear. Labubu figurines have taken off globally, with some pieces going for as much as USD 200. That kind of hype was always going to attract copycats, and 3D printing has made it easier than ever. With design files floating around online, people can produce near-identical versions at a fraction of the cost. One seller reportedly made up to USD 15,000 selling 3D printed versions of Labubu.
What’s interesting is how the court approached it. It didn’t draw a hard line between physical products and digital files both were treated as part of the same problem. In other words, sharing or downloading a design file can be just as much of an issue as selling the finished product. For something like Labubu, which sits across copyright, design rights, and trademark, this kind of layered protection is starting to matter more.
Pop Mart, for its part, has been getting more aggressive. From sending cease and desist notices in Singapore and Taiwan to pushing for crackdowns in China, it’s clearly trying to stay ahead of the curve.
This isn’t just about toys. It’s another example of how 3D printing is forcing IP law to catch up with reality. Copying doesn’t look the same anymore, and the law is starting to reflect that.