💰钛媒体•Jun 5, 2026Stalecollected in 12h

Pop Mart's strategy to protect IP from imitation

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#ip-protection #computer-vision #brand-safetypop-mart-ip-(labubu)pop mart labubu

💡Learn how to leverage computer vision for automated IP protection and copyright enforcement.

⚡ 30-Second TL;DR

What Changed

LABUBU IP faces widespread market imitation

Why It Matters

As IP protection becomes critical, AI-driven visual recognition tools for detecting copyright infringement are becoming essential for consumer brands.

What To Do Next

Explore computer vision APIs like Google Cloud Vision or custom YOLO models to automate the detection of your brand assets on third-party marketplaces.

Who should care:Developers & AI Engineers

Key Points

•LABUBU IP faces widespread market imitation
•Shift from creative development to defensive IP management
•Importance of brand moat in the collectible toy industry

🧠 Deep Insight

Web-grounded analysis with 11 cited sources.

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

•Pop Mart employs a comprehensive, multi-layered IP protection strategy encompassing extensive trademark registrations (over 2,200 in China alone), copyrights (over 70 for Labubu), patents, and trade dress, safeguarding distinctive character features like Labubu's nine sharp teeth and pointed ears.
•The scale of Labubu imitation is substantial, with Chinese customs intercepting 1.8 million counterfeit products in 2025 alone, and Pop Mart actively pursuing global legal actions against infringers, including a US federal lawsuit against 7-Eleven franchises for selling 'Lafufu' fakes and a copyright infringement lawsuit against the 3D-printing platform Bambu Lab.
•To combat counterfeiting, Pop Mart utilizes product identifiers such as scannable QR codes, serial numbers, and unique packaging designs to help consumers distinguish genuine items, and has increased production capacity at partner factories to boost the supply of authentic dolls.
•Pop Mart's IP strategy involves both cultivating proprietary IPs, which accounted for over 80% of its revenue in 2024, and forming strategic collaborations with independent artists like Kasing Lung (creator of Labubu), securing exclusive agreements to maintain creative and artistic integrity.

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

E-commerce and 3D-printing platforms will face increased legal scrutiny and potential liability for hosting infringing content.

Pop Mart's lawsuits against 7-Eleven and Bambu Lab's MakerWorld platform indicate a growing trend towards holding platforms accountable for user-generated or third-party infringing sales, potentially reshaping 'safe harbor' doctrines.

Consumer safety will become a more prominent factor in IP enforcement within the collectible toy industry.

The discovery of toxic materials and choking hazards in counterfeit Labubu products highlights that IP infringement is also a consumer safety issue, which may lead to more stringent enforcement based on product safety regulations.

Global brands will intensify efforts in cross-border IP coordination and enforcement.

The widespread international distribution of counterfeit Labubu products, with seizures in multiple countries, necessitates Pop Mart's collaboration with customs authorities and strategic international trademark filings to protect its brand globally.

⏳ Timeline

2010

Pop Mart founded in China by Wang Ning.

2016

Pop Mart launches its first blind box toy series featuring Molly, after securing exclusive IP rights, marking a shift to proprietary IP.

2018

The Labubu blind box series is introduced, quickly becoming a key IP.

2020-12-11

Pop Mart goes public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, valuing the company at around $7 billion and fueling global expansion plans.

2025-01

Chinese customs intercept 1.8 million counterfeit Labubu products, illustrating the significant scale of infringement faced by Pop Mart.

2025-07

Pop Mart initiates global legal actions, including a lawsuit against 7-Eleven franchises in the US for selling 'Lafufu' fakes and a copyright infringement lawsuit against 3D-printing platform Bambu Lab by March 2026.