{"id":1576,"date":"2026-09-22T11:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/?p=1576"},"modified":"2026-09-22T11:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:35:14","slug":"lego-copyright-and-creativity-what-protects-the-worlds-most-famous-toy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/2026\/09\/lego-copyright-and-creativity-what-protects-the-worlds-most-famous-toy\/","title":{"rendered":"LEGO, Copyright and Creativity: What Protects the World’s Most Famous Toy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Disclaimer: This blog post is for information only. We do not endorse any of the merchandise and we are not affiliated or receive any commission from any companies presented in this blog post. LEGO\u00ae is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. All images used are editorial only.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think that LEGO needs any introduction. Who hasn\u2019t heard of LEGO??! Who hasn\u2019t owned LEGO?! As a kid, building things with my LEGO bricks was pure joy, building, improving, changing, that\u2019s really what LEGO is all about. Nowadays, you can get LEGO and your favourite movie or anime or cartoon heroes. Even better, you can create something new and have it approved through LEGO Ideas<\/a>. This is how the X-Files set<\/a> came to be, and the ad is absolutely fantastic. However that is only one of many, why not explore the LEGO Ideas<\/a> section and who knows, you might become inspired and create your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While LEGO is beloved the world over, over the years it has created an empire of different designs, it teamed up with numerous other brands, like Disney, think Star Wars<\/a>, Nintendo<\/a> and New Line Productions (Lord of the Rings<\/a>). Let\u2019s face it who did not want to own their very own Rivendell<\/a> or their very own Millenium Falcon<\/a>?! All of this is part of a very good marketing strategy but also IP strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Stud and Tube Principle: The Patent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you look at a LEGO brick<\/a> the first thing you might notice is that it has studs on top and tubes on the inside or at the bottom<\/a>, depending how thick the brick is. Pressing bricks together interlocks the two making them very sturdy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make sure the stud and tube principle is protected, the LEGO Group submits a patent application in 1958<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patent protected LEGO’s innovative “clutch power” system<\/a>, which allowed bricks to fit together securely while remaining easy for children to separate. This gave LEGO a significant competitive advantage and helped fuel the company’s rapid growth. However, like all patents, this protection was time limited. When LEGO’s key patents began to expire in the 1970s, competitors were free to manufacture compatible bricks, prompting the company to look increasingly towards trademarks, design rights and copyright to protect its products and brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The LEGO brick and Minifigure: Design rights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you read this blog, you will have figured out that most IP protection will lapse at one point or another. Some can be extended but the majority will expire in the end. Once their patents started expiring, LEGO moved to other type of IP, like design rights. Design rights protect how an item looks, and we all can picture a LEGO brick and a LEGO Minifigure, because their design is very specific. These types of designs, shape and overall appearance are protected automatically as unregistered designs, but designs can also be registered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building blocks of the LEGO brand: Copyright and Trademarks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, LEGO has secured trademark protection<\/a> for its brand in numerous countries, establishing itself as a widely recognised and well-known mark. This extensive global trademark portfolio enables consumers worldwide to associate the LEGO name with high-quality building bricks, creativity, and innovation across a diverse range of products and markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, copyright law protects LEGO’s creative works, including packaging artwork, instruction manuals, films, video games, books, and animated content. As the company expanded beyond physical toys into storytelling and digital entertainment, copyright protection became increasingly significant. It helps prevent unauthorised reproduction of LEGO’s original content while safeguarding the brand’s identity, reputation, and commercial value across new media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI have friends everywhere<\/a>\u201d: The Power of Partnerships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As LEGO’s early patents<\/a> began to expire, the company could no longer rely on the same level of protection it had enjoyed for decades. Instead of seeing this as a threat, LEGO adapted its strategy and leaned heavily into licensing partnerships<\/a> with some of the world’s biggest entertainment brands, including Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, and other popular franchises. These collaborations allowed LEGO to expand far beyond its traditional building sets, creating products that combined the appeal of its bricks with much-loved fictional worlds and characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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