Lego makes 36 billion Lego blocks every year. That’s about 4.5 Lego bricks for every man woman and child alive on Earth and enough Lego blocks to (according to the Museum of Science and History) build a column to the moon... every year!

No doubt you bought or even received some Lego blocks over Christmas (see how high you can build!).

So, its no wonder that every now and again, someone takes a swing at the connectible toy blocks market. The issue, no doubt, any would-be competitor has is that there is simply no way to compete with the juggernaut that is Lego Group.

There's no click quite like the click of two Lego blocks becoming one on a journey to something that was only in your head and is becoming a tangible showpiece to put on the mantle.

Lego isn’t a word, it is a moat around a Danish company founded in 1932 and toymakers Zuru tried to cross that moat in 2018 when it launched its Max Build product and claimed that it was compatible with “Lego Bricks.”

In July 2023, a dispute that started in November 2018 was determined by the High Court in a ruling that favoured Lego Group and found that Zuru had breached the Fair Trading Act and the Trade Marks Act.

The case itself is interesting, but what we find most exciting and applicable for our clients is the fact that despite Lego Group’s patents and copyright having expired many many years ago, the protections that Lego Group have placed around its trade mark globally means that it will likely build moon bound plastic columns forever.

So long as you continue to renew your registrations for your trade marks, they will never expire. This makes a trade mark the most enduring intellectual property right available and for $5000 you can get an NZ registration and start building your own moat around your business.

How can you do the same with your trade marks? Come and see the team at Owen Culliney Law.