Monday, November 17, 2008

Lego Hits a Rainbow Colored Brick Wall

Who has not dreamed of building a life size Lego house or the life size Lego statue of oneself? If you don't raise your hand, you are either lying or you were raised by wolves. Everyone loves Lego and it has been a uniquely iconic fixture of the modern childhood. Its charm has inspired more than a few adults to realize their fantasies in bricks that come from rainbow factories.

Apparently the Court of First Instance doesn't share that enthusiasm as it upheld a 2004 decision to cancel the brick's trademark status. Essentially it has ruled that Lego cannot avail itself of trademark protection from a EU trademark registered in 1999 to prevent competition from making mock blocks. The ruling came in response to a dispute between Lego and a Canadian company, Mega Brands, which manufactures blocks that were so similar as to be compatible with Lego. This is a major event that will greatly the landscape, but only once the case is further appealed to the European Court of Justice.

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