Rubik’s cube trade mark registration upheld
Managing IP is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2024

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Rubik’s cube trade mark registration upheld

rubik-cube-55.png

The registration of the shape of the Rubik’s cube as a Community trade mark is valid, the EU General Court has ruled

rubik-cube.png

In a judgment dated November 25, the Court rejected arguments made by Simba Toys that the cube involved a technical solution.

Simba had filed a cancellation action at OHIM in 2006 against the 3D mark, which was registered in 1999 (right). The registration, covering three-dimensional puzzles, is owned by UK company Seven Towns.

In its judgment, the General Court said “the black lines and, more generally, the grid structure on each surface of the cube in question do not perform, or are not even suggestive of, any technical function”.

It said the rotating mechanism is “internal” to the cube and “invisible on the graphic representations of the contested mark”.

Further analysis:

CJEU press release

Bulletin by Herbert Smith Freehills

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

A 36-member team from Zhong Lun Law Firm, including six partners, will join the newly formed East IP Group
The Delhi High Court sided with Ericsson against Indian smartphone maker Lava, bringing the companies' nine-year dispute to a close
We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP
Tennessee has passed the ELVIS Act, a law that fights against AI models that mimic the voice and likeness of music artists
Rob Stien, chief communications and public policy officer at InterDigital, says the EU has forgotten innovators while trying to solve an issue that doesn’t exist
As Australia’s Qantm IP leans towards being acquired by a private equity company, sources discuss what it could mean for IP firms
Law firms that are conscious of their role in society are more likely to win work, according to a survey of over 23,000 in-house professionals
Nghiem Xuan Bac Pham, managing partner of Vision & Associates, discusses opportunities created by the US-China rift as well as profitability issues facing IP practices
Douglas Leite and two of his colleagues were intrigued by Bhering Advogados’s mission to grow its patent litigation practice
Each week Managing IP speaks to a different IP practitioner about their life and career
Gift this article