The General Court of the European Union has rejected an appeal by Spin Master Toys UK, thereby confirming the annulment of EU trademarks associated with the iconic Rubik’s Cube shape. This ruling means that the three-dimensional form of the famous puzzle is no longer protected as a trademark under EU law.
The Canadian company Spin Master, which has owned the Rubik’s brand since 2021, lost its legal battle against the Greek firm Verdes Innovations SA, the manufacturer of puzzles sold under the V-CUBE brand. The court upheld the decision of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which found that the essential features of the cube’s design serve a technical purpose and therefore cannot be registered as a trademark.
“The essential characteristics of the Rubik’s Cube shape are necessary to achieve a technical result; therefore, such a shape cannot be registered as an EU trademark,” the judges stated in their ruling.
The legendary puzzle, created in 1974 by Hungarian professor Ernő Rubik, became a global sensation. Since its invention, hundreds of millions of cubes have been sold worldwide, and it remains a symbol of creativity and intellectual challenge.
The cube’s design has long been at the center of intellectual property disputes. After the expiration of the U.S. patent in 2000, numerous imitations entered the market. The 3D shape of the cube was registered as an EU trademark in 1999, but this registration was revoked in 2016 after years of litigation. This opened the door for other manufacturers and fueled the growth of the speedcubing industry.
Today, Rubik’s Brand Ltd. continues to leverage the strong recognition of its name and retains several trademarks, such as logos, to differentiate its products.
Despite the ruling, Spin Master has stated its intention to continue protecting the Rubik’s Cube brand through other legal means.
“The company will continue to defend the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the iconic Rubik’s Cube using alternative forms of protection,” Spin Master said in a statement.
The ruling was issued in case T-1170/23 Spin Master Toys UK v EUIPO — Verdes Innovations SA. The company still has the right to appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU’s highest judicial authority.
