Copycat Hexbugs Caught, Destroyed

GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 1/26/2012 12:35:06 PM

Warrington, U.K. - Innovation First International, maker of Hexbugs, collaborated with U.K. customs officials to seize and destroy unauthorized copies of its Hexbug Nano product at the port of Southampton. Nearly 7,000 of the micro robotic toys had been shipped from Chinese manufacturer Bort Electrical Co. to online U.K. retailer Toysmart Ltd., who intended to sell the goods to European customers. According to Innovation First, Toysmart agreed to the copies' immediate distruction.

Tony Norman, president and CEO of Innovation First International, said in a statement, "Copycat companies try to hide behind foreign entities that can pop up and down much like moles, in an attempt to evade legal actions. Unlike offshore manufacturers, retailers cannot hide from the courts by shutting their doors and opening up again next door. Given this, we've re-focused our strategy to target retailers, who often profit most by infringing our intellectual property."