Intellectual Property: Lego urges police forces to stop using its figurines on social media

Police forces will have to stop using Lego characters' heads to cover faces when sharing arrest footage on social media, after the toy company ordered them to respect their “intellectual property”.

“Of course we understand and we will respect [la demande]. “We are currently exploring other ways to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our subscribers,” Lt. Jeremy Durrant of the Murrieta Police Department said in a statement, according to The Independent on Tuesday.

Last week, California police shared an explanatory post informing their subscribers why they were using the heads of Lego figurines to blur suspects' faces during their posts.

Under a new law in force since January 1 in the American state, it has become prohibited to share photos of those suspected of committing non-violent crimes, except under certain exceptions, as indicated by the English media.

Because experts have observed a range of negative effects when sharing photos online, both for suspects awaiting trial, who find themselves guilty in the collective mind through these images on social networks, as well as for those who want to rebuild their lives after they are gone. Time in the justice system.

Thus, since the beginning of 2023, the Murrieta police have chosen to use Lego figurines, which come with a range of facial expressions, to remain “transparent” with residents, while respecting the rights of everyone, “even the suspects,” as they put it. in Facebook.

But the widely circulated post did not please the game's manufacturer, who “respectfully” contacted the police to ask them to stop using the popular figurines.

Lego did not respond to The Independent's request for comment.