ARTICLE
31 January 2020

LEGO Endures The Test Of Time

D
Dehns

Contributor

Founded in 1920, Dehns is one of Europe’s largest full service intellectual property firms, with offices in London, Munich, Oslo, Oxford, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham.

In addition to obtaining patent, trade mark and design protection around the world, our services also extend to IP management consulting and dispute resolution. Dehns attorneys have expertise in a wide range of technologies across the engineering, chemistry and biotechnology sectors.

Our clients include private inventors, universities and research institutions, start-ups and SMEs as well as large multinational corporations. We are firmly focussed on delivering clear advice and valuable results at a competitive cost.

Dehns’ straightforward, business-oriented approach combined with technical excellence has made us leaders in our field and we are proud of our top tier rankings.

As a child, I loved my LEGO, spending hours creating huge towers and complex structures. Now, as a parent, I enjoy watching my children get the same satisfaction out of this wonderful toy...
United Kingdom Intellectual Property

As a child, I loved my LEGO, spending hours creating huge towers and complex structures. Now, as a parent, I enjoy watching my children get the same satisfaction out of this wonderful toy (I even still do some occasional building myself!).

Over time, the variety of products on offer from LEGO has expanded greatly. As a child, I mostly had just the basic blocks to craft my own creations. However, now the emphasis is on sets with special pieces that make a particular vehicle or building. There are even themed sets, such as Harry Potter or Star Wars.

What has not changed, however, is the shape and function of the basic brick - a cuboid with circular projections on the top and corresponding recesses underneath that allows bricks to be connected together. This concept was the subject of a patent application filed over 60 years ago. While the patent has long since lapsed (patents generally expire after 20 years), the brick has not required any re-inventing.

LEGO has sought to protect its intellectual property in other ways too, notably through trademarks. While they have struggled to obtain trademark protection for the 3D of their bricks, notably in the EU, they have had more recent success in protecting the 3D shape of their distinctive mini-figures.

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