The most popular alternative version is “3 Kings”, which has been sold under that name since the 2018 World Cup in Russia and continues to circulate despite the fact that it is an unofficial version. Said product was previously linked to Distribuidora Navarrete, the case even reached Indecopi.
Album sales have increased due to the start of the World Cup. (Photo: Fernando Sangama/El Comercio)
What is known about “3 Kings”
El Comercio investigated the origin of the album “3 Kings”, but on social networks or on the websites there is no information about any company that owns it, it is not even registered with Sunat or other state entities. Products from said brand are only sold through Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
In search of more information, this newspaper visited Nicolás de Piérola Avenue (Cercado de Lima), specifically in the sector between Inambari Street and Abancay Avenue, where the album “3 Kings” is sold, and was able to verify that the product is sold in greater quantities than the Panini brand due to its low cost.
A collaborator posed as a buyer and spoke with several merchants, who agreed that the “3 Kings” albums are brought by wholesalers and delivered to the street vendors who occupy the entire sidewalk of Nicolás de Piérola Avenue.
The sale of said product began, as indicated, last March, even before Panini’s, which is why the version launched on that date has the figures of the teams that participated in the playoff matches. Then, a new edition was released, but only with the 48 ranked teams.
Wholesalers sell the softcover album to retailers at a price that ranges between 8 to 10 soles, despite the fact that its usual price is 3.5 soles, due to the current World Cup situation, so it is offered to customers at 15 soles. The hardcover version costs 50 soles and the ‘paquetón’ costs 70 soles. Originally the price of the hardcover was 25 soles and the ‘package’ was 55 soles initially.
These are the versions of the 3 Kings album that are circulating on the market.
The merchants were reluctant to point out the names of the people who distribute the “3 Kings” album in large quantities. Only one woman dared to say that the printing is done in the workshops located near Garcilaso de la Vega Avenue, better known as Wilson Avenue, and in other locations located in the Center of Lima. He assured that there are various qualities of albums, since they are printed in various places.
The Commerce He toured the galleries on Av. Garcilaso de la Vega and verified that many stands offer the printing service of the figures from the World Cup album, whether Panini or 3 Kings, so the client only has to bring the material in PDF. The price varies from 80 cents to one sol for each printed sheet and the cost increases if lamination is requested to be added.
This newspaper found that the album called “3 Kings” only has a small logo in the upper right, but inside there is no reference to the publisher or the workshop where it was printed. On the other hand, Panini’s does indicate the address of the place where it was manufactured.
Indecopi informed The Commerce that the Panini company has not, so far, filed a complaint against any Peruvian publisher for the unauthorized sale of the 2026 World Cup album. However, it specified that the Copyright Commission has carried out inspection activities on rights related to the development of this World Cup.
For their part, sources from the Directorate of the Fiscal Police (Dirpofis) informed this newspaper that some printing presses in northern Lima have been detected that produce albums, figures and stickers of the World Cup of different brands and that said material is distributed in premises in surrounding districts and Cercado de Lima. The agents confirmed the poor quality of the counterfeit products, since there were many differences with the original products. The PNP confirmed to The Commerce that at the end of May carried out an operation in Carabayllo in three clandestine printing presses and seized merchandise related to the World Cup valued at S/ 58,500.
The Police carried out an operation to seize ‘bamba’ figurines and albums in Carabayllo.
Navarrete’s response
The distributor Navarrete was involved in the case of the commercialization of the album 3 Reyes due to a complaint filed by Grupo La República, in March 2018, before Indecopi. However, said company alleged at that time that it had not participated in the distribution or marketing of said product. In the current World Cup context, Navarrete clarified that he does not market the album.
This is the Indecopi document that recalls how Navarrete was involved in the case of the marketing of the album 3 Reyes.
“Distribuidora Navarrete has not released or marketed any album related to the World Cup,” responded Patricia Gutiérrez, head of Marketing at Navarrete, in an email to a query posed by The Commerce.
This newspaper obtained the same response when it asked, through a telephone call, the Navarrete sales area about whether it marketed the “3 Kings” product. Last May, the company published a message on social networks to clarify the issue.
“Fraudulent pages have been detected that use the name Distribuidora Navarrete to offer supposed 2026 World Cup albums. Distribuidora Navarrete does not sell 2026 World Cup albums in any presentation. We do not make sales through personal profiles or alternate pages and we do not request payments in the name of third parties,” the company indicated.
Navarrete clarified that he does not market any World Cup album.
However, it is worth remembering that Navarrete promoted the Brazil 2014 World Cup album on his official social networks. The Capri Internacional Publicaciones brand even appeared on the product’s cover, the same brand that was sanctioned for illegally marketing the 2018 Russia World Cup album.
The 2014 Brazil World Cup album was promoted on Navarrete’s Facebook page, despite not having the rights.
Sanctions for piracy of World Cup albums
The authorities have applied several economic sanctions and have ordered actions for the unauthorized marketing of World Cup albums. This situation was more noticeable in 2018, when the Peruvian team qualified for the World Cup held in Russia.
For example, in April 2018, the Indecopi Copyright Commission issued precautionary cessation measures to suspend the marketing, by Capri Internacional SA, of the albums and stickers corresponding to the “World Cup Russia 2018” product of the “3 Reyes” brand.
In this regard, Indecopi informed The Commerce that the ex officio complaint initiated against Capri Internacional SA “for infringement of the economic rights of reproduction and distribution regarding photographic works” included in the aforementioned album was declared founded, for which it was sanctioned with 96 UIT.
In addition, it noted that the complaint initiated ex officio against Capri Internacional SA “for infringement of the rights of reproduction and public communication regarding recordings of moving images not considered works” corresponding to fragments of soccer matches, through the augmented reality mobile application called “Virtual Stickers”, was declared founded, for which it sanctioned Capri with a fine of 18 UIT. Said case was declared final and to date is archived.
During the investigations of the case, Consulting Group, creator of the Virtual Stickers application, informed Indecopi that the company that hired its services was Capri, whose general manager was Elva Cerf Guerra.
In the process, Capri Internacional SA argued that it had not committed an infringement because it had the necessary and sufficient rights, since they were transferred to it, as it said, by the sports photographer Pier Giorgio Giavelli, it even showed an alleged contract for the transfer of rights.
However, Indecopi established that it is not possible to determine that Pier Giorgio Giavelli is the author of the photographs that were included in the “3 Kings” album and verified that said images correspond to third parties.
Currently, Capri Internacional has been officially discharged from Sunat since October 2023. It maintains a coercive debt of more than 32 thousand soles, generated in the period 2018-2022.
Other cases
In 1998, Indecopi imposed fines of 30 and 40 UIT, respectively, on Distribuidora Navarrete and Corporación Gráfica Navarrete SA, respectively, for the distribution of albums and cards from the 1998 France World Cup with images of the players of the teams participating in said event without proving that they had the respective authorizations.
In 2007, Navarrete also released an album for the Copa América, but the Association of the Union of Union Soccer Players of Peru and the Association of Union Soccer Players of Bolivia reported her to Indecopi, for which she was fined 90 UIT for each case, which amounted to a total of S/621,000.
Despite the previous sanctions, Navarrete released a version again for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, but Panini and Panini Spain also reported it to Indecopi, for which he received a sanction of 240 UIT (S/864,000).
Indecopi can intervene ex officio, indicated a specialist
Yasser Vichir, associate at the Rebaza, Alcázar & De Las Casas firm, pointed out to The Commerce that, in the case of the distribution and sale of the album 3 Reyes, Indecopi can intervene ex officio due to copyright and unfair competition issues.
“Indecopi has already spoken out on the issue of albums that are sold and that contain photographs, which constitute works protected under copyright, or the image of players without authorization that are sold in the markets,” said the specialist.
“On the one hand there is the issue of copyright because if they want to use photographs for a commercial purpose, they must have the authorization of their author. On the other hand, at the level of unfair competition, in the case of the precedent (of the 2018 World Cup), it was because the image rights were not authorized by their owners,” he added.
This is what Nicolás de Piérola Avenue looks like due to World Cup fever.
Vichir recalled that the Copyright commissions and the Unfair Competition Commission of Indecopi intervened in 2018, when the manufacturers of the album “3 Kings” were sanctioned in the context of the World Cup in Russia.
Regarding Indecopi’s actions in controlling ‘piracy’ in the country, the specialist stated that said entity always focuses on specific sectors and on that basis it carries out its inspections and initiates procedures. “It’s difficult to chase everyone,” he remarked.
