Lego has won a court case against two Chinese firms that plagiarised the toy producer’s product.

Shantou Intermediate People’s Court in southeast China’s Guangdong Province ruled in Lego's favour during a copyright case in September concerning the Chinese brick brand Bela, the Lego Group said in a press release today.

The case was filed against two Chinese companies which had been manufacturing and selling products that were almost identical to the LEGO Friends product line.

The court ruled that the two firms had to stop copying Lego’s packaging design and logos as of November, as their actions constituted copyright infringement. They were also told that manufacturing and selling these products amounted to unfair competition.

This is the first case regarding unfair competition that the Lego Group has filed and won in China.

“We are pleased with the ruling by Shantou Intermediate People’s Court, which we see as a strong indication of the continued focus on proper intellectual property protection and enforcement by the Chinese courts and responsible authorities,” said Peter Thorslund Kjær, vice president of legal affairs at the LEGO Group.

In July, the Beijing Higher Court passed a ruling recognising the Lego logo and its name in Chinese as ‘well-known’ trademarks, giving the Danish toymaker a “better position to act against infringement of LEGO trademarks, also outside the toy category”.

Lego has recently drawn attention to itself in China with the release of a set featuring Shanghai’s skyline and news about a special Year of the Dog set in honour of the Chinese new year, which begins in February.