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Europe court rules LEGO figures are ‘protected shape’
June 16, 2015. From the European Union (EU) and BBC.com.
The shape of LEGO’s figures (minifigures) is a protected trademark and
therefore cannot be copied, an EU court has ruled.
Competitor Best-Lock, who makes similar toys, had challenged LEGO’s attempt to
protect the shape of its human figures.
But the appeal was dismissed on Tuesday by the General Court of the European
Union.
LEGO, the world’s second biggest toy maker, had registered the
“three-dimensional trademark” in 2000.
Best-Lock tried to argue that the shape of LEGO’s little men and women was
determined by the fact that they were part of a toy that involved “interlocking
building blocks for play purposes”.
This would have made the trademark invalid.
But the EU court ruled that the essential elements of LEGO’s figures had nothing
to do with their ability to join them to other building blocks.
Characteristics such as holes in the feet and legs did not obviously have a
“technical function”, it said in a statement.
The court therefore upheld LEGO’s registration of the shape as a protected
trademark.
This is not the first time that LEGO has been challenged in an EU courtroom.
In 2010, Canadian competitor Mega Bloks won its case and prevented LEGO from
registering a red toy building brick as a trademark.
Source: BBC.com
Press release from the General Court of the European Union
Curia.Europa.EU
-end of report-
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