Toy developer Big On Toy Innovation (BOTI) has won its copyright infringement lawsuit against Toi-Toys.
Toi-Toys was found guilty of manufacturing and distributing an imitation of BOTI’s Doctor Squish-Squishy Maker toy through the retail chain Action. The court has ruled that Toi-Toys is prohibited from further violating the copyrights of Squishy Maker, and must stop exploiting the commercial success of this product. Toi-Toys must also disclose the scale of their distribution of the infringing product and initiate a recall and destruction of all units from the market, including from European branches of Action.
“Making and selling a counterfeit product is unacceptable from an ethical point of view and acting in this way solely for the sake of financial gain can never be a justification,” says Nico Blauw, CEO of BOTI. “We hope that this ruling will play a significant role in curtailing counterfeit activities in the Dutch and international markets. We also hope that it encourages companies to revise their policies and firmly denounce counterfeiting. BOTI would like to thank everyone for the enormous support the company has received. The expressions of support have been overwhelming and clearly reflect how many fellow toy suppliers view these practices.”
The counterfeit, Squishy Factory, is nearly an exact replica, mirroring everything from the design and color scheme to the content and packaging.
