Kiwi toymaker Zuru fighting off legal action from Lego

Figures from Zuru's Max Build More 750-piece construction set. Screenshot / YouTube

Days after celebrating a copyright victory of its own, Kiwi toymaker Zuru Toys is now fending off more legal action, this time from Danish toy giant Lego.

The dispute is over figurines produced by both companies being sold at Walmart stores and online.

In a lawsuit filed Friday (NZ time), Lego claims the Zuru products copy the distinctive look of Lego Minifigures, and would confuse consumers into thinking they were Lego toys, reports Bloomberg.

Zuru is asking a Federal judge in Connecticut to prevent Zuru from selling some of its Max Build More and Mayka lines of construction toys, according to Bloomberg.

Harry Potter Lego Minifigures. Photo / Getty Images

Zuru chief executive Nick Mowbray told the Herald they paid US$5 million for the rights to Mayka.

"Lego didn't create the brick there are numerous of other companies making bricks. Our goal is to use our advantages in automation and Lean model to be able to deliver families around the world a construction play experience which doesn't cost an arm and a leg - making it more accessible.

"Mayka tape was licensed after a huge Indiegogo campaign and was touted by US today as one of 2017's best inventions - was also in publications across the globe - nothing to do with Lego or close to any product they ever made!"

Zuru chief executive Nick Mowbray. Photo / Supplied

According to a filing with the US courts Lego said "while the Lego Group welcomes fair competition, Zuru's nationwide launch [of its Max Build More products in October] was anything but fair play."

In December, Zuru won US$12.5m damages from US-based Telebrands in a jury trial after it was found the Telebrands had ripped off its hit Bunch O Balloons product, which allows multiple balloons to be filled with water at once.

And in a March 27 ruling the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas has granted Zuru's application for enhanced damages, bumping up the penalty to US$24.5m and awarding US$4.8m in costs.