Lego’s Latin America IP Strategy Targets Online and Offline Counterfeiting with Regional Collaboration

Arturo Ishbak, who leads the Lego Group’s intellectual property (IP) strategy for Latin America, plays a pivotal role in protecting the company’s IP rights across the region. Based in Mexico City, Ishbak’s responsibilities encompass the development and implementation of measures to safeguard Lego’s trademarks, patents, industrial designs, and copyrights, particularly in priority countries with significant sales and piracy concerns.

The Lego Group maintains regional IP teams across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, REEMEA (Russia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Europe. These teams collaborate closely, sharing databases and holding regular meetings to ensure a unified global strategy for IP protection and enforcement. In the Americas, the IP team includes two lawyers based in the United States focusing on the US and Canada, a lawyer dedicated to online IP strategy, and Ishbak overseeing Latin America.

Lego’s brand protection strategy is bifurcated into combating offline and online piracy. The initial step involves identifying priority countries for IP protection based on business needs. Following this, Lego registers its IP rights within customs databases where legislation permits, enabling customs authorities to monitor and intercept counterfeit imports.

To enhance enforcement, Lego conducts continuous training sessions—both in-person and virtual—for customs and law enforcement officials. These sessions familiarize authorities with Lego’s IP portfolio and equip them to identify counterfeit products effectively. Such training facilitates timely alerts on counterfeit imports, allowing Lego to initiate appropriate administrative or criminal proceedings in each jurisdiction.

On the digital front, Lego leverages brand protection tools offered by e-commerce platforms. The company’s legaltech team registers IP rights on these platforms to detect and remove listings of counterfeit products infringing Lego’s IP. This proactive online monitoring complements offline enforcement efforts.

Ishbak highlights the importance of ongoing authority training, stating, “We continuously train authorities so they become familiar with our intellectual property rights and can identify counterfeit products.” This approach strengthens collaboration with enforcement agencies and enhances the effectiveness of anti-piracy measures.

Beyond his corporate role, Ishbak has contributed academically by teaching law, business administration, and international business. His experience teaching business courses has enriched his perspective, enabling him to develop IP strategies aligned with business objectives rather than purely legal considerations.

This business-oriented approach has informed his research into franchising models, aiding Lego’s expansion in Mexico and internationally through franchising. Ishbak’s dual focus on legal and business dimensions underscores the multifaceted nature of IP strategy in dynamic markets.

Regarding challenges in Latin America, Ishbak identifies the dissemination of IP knowledge as critical to fostering economic growth and combating piracy. He notes that some countries in the region lack efficient legislation or sufficient human resources to support robust IP enforcement.

He emphasizes the need for modernizing IP laws and enhancing administrative and criminal tools to empower authorities in protecting intellectual property effectively. Such reforms are essential to facilitate comprehensive IP protection campaigns and promote innovation and investment across Latin America.

Through coordinated regional teams, strategic customs engagement, authority training, and digital brand protection, Lego’s IP strategy exemplifies a comprehensive approach to safeguarding its brand against piracy in Latin America and beyond.