The General Court of the European Union struck down a 2019 decision by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), ruling that the design of Danish toy manufacturing giant LEGO's building blocks is protected by patent, says Deutsche Welle.

EUROPEAN UNION INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE FAILED, LEGO IS RIGHT

LEGO appealed the EUIPO ruling: "EUIPO erroneously declared invalid the design of a brick of a LEGO toy building set. EUIPO failed to examine the relevance of the application of the exception relied on by LEGO, and failed to take into consideration all the features of the appearance of the brick," wrote the judges.

THE TUG-OF-WAR BETWEEN LEGO AND DELTA SPORT

EUIPO had sided with the German company Delta Sport in 2019, ruling that the design of LEGO bricks was dictated solely by their technical function and thus only protected for a limited time by their design patent — a rule designed to hinder monopolization.

NEE BRICK REGISTERED IN 2010

LEGO registered the new brick after the court and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in 2008 and 2010, respectively, that the classic brick does not enjoy patent protection because its design is dictated by its technical function. "The decision confirms our strong belief that the original design should be legally protected against copies," LEGO wrote in response to a query from German press agency dpa.