China Cracking Down on Fake Peppa Pig Merchandise

By Urban Family, September 19, 2018

This article originally appeared on our sister website, Urban Family Shanghai.

By Yuzhou Hu

Ever since Peppa Pig entered China back in 2015, it has been played on various digital platforms over 10 billion times. That being said, the high exposure brings not only unrivaled popularity but also severe infringement issues.

According to Shine, the world-renowned animated series has been translated into 40 languages in over 180 countries. Apart from DVDs, a wide range of licensed goods are available on the market, including toys, clothing, stationery and food. These products helped Peppa Pig gross over USD1.1 billion in 2016 alone, reports Sohu.

Image via Netease

Without a doubt, the success of the brand has provided a hotbed for counterfeit goods. "The trademark infringements around the globe has posed a threat to our brand and the earnings," Niall Trainor, brand protection team leader of Entertainment One, told Shine.

To eradicate the problem, Trainor and his team are taking actions against copycats around the world. In January of 2017, over 13 thousand fake products were spotted and seized, and four factories were ordered to shut down in Guangdong, reports Sohu.

The crackdown didn't end there. Last month, according to Sina, a company in Guangdong was sentenced and fined RMB150 thousand for manufacturing unlicensed Peppa Pig toys. The toy, which is dubbed 'Peppa Pig's Cooking World,' is a direct violation of the trademark, yet the packing box shamelessly says the merchandise is "authorized."

Image via Hangzhou.com

Although the crackdown seems promising, these pirated are merely the tip of the iceberg. With the Peppa Pig theme park and the Peppa Pig film on the horizon, the fame of the fan-favorite character in China is sure to go to another level, and the fight against infringement may get fiercer.

[Cover image via Sohu]

This article was originally published by our sister magazine Urban Family Shanghai. For more articles like this, visit the Urban Family website, or follow the Urban Family WeChat account (ID: urbanfamilyshanghai).