LEGO History part 1
This article provides the reader with an overview of the history of legal protection of two main assets of the LEGO company: the LEGO block and the LEGO man minifigure. The events described show how important a role intellectual property plays in suppressing competitors, since all the plots have a common pattern: the LEGO company introduces a new product to the market and tries to maintain a monopoly on it. It is noteworthy that the founding fathers of the LEGO company from the very beginning recognized the importance of their intangible assets and from the first days in the market they strived for maximum protection of intellectual property, which greatly contributed to the acquisition and maintenance of the status of the leader in the toy building industry.
How it all began
At the heart of each LEGO set is a unique toy block, which allows you to assemble a set according to the instructions, connect one set with others, or completely disassemble any set and realize your own idea.
The LEGO toy block is the company's first major asset.
Like most achievements of mankind, the block did not immediately take its optimal shape.
The first "precursor" of the LEGO block was the Harry Fisher Page toy block. Mr. Page patented this unit as an invention in Great Britain (patent GB529580 [1]) in 1939. The block was a hollow toy brick with protrusions that allowed the blocks to be assembled by fitting the protrusions into the hollow portion of another block. Thus, it was possible to carry out easy assembly and disassembly of various structures. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1. Drawing of the G. Page block of the 1939 version
In 1944, Harry Fisher Page patented an improved version of his block as an invention (GB587206 [2]). The second “precursor” of the LEGO block, compared to the first, differed in the number of protrusions, as well as their location. (Fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Drawing of the G. Page block of the 1944 version
The proposed improvement was necessary to be able to build strong structures with their rotation to the sides. (Fig. 3)
Fig. 3 Drawing of the G. Page block version 1944 in conjunction
Page blocks had two main disadvantages:
1) Weak variability in the construction of structures: it was impossible to move blocks to the sides, create complex structures, etc.
2) Weak strength of structures: blocks that are hollow inside do not provide reliable fastening to each other. In simple words, if you build a house from such blocks and lift it by the roof, the lower part of the house will fall because the blocks will fall out of the hollow parts of other blocks. Thus, Page blocks could hardly be used for fast-paced games.
For the above reasons, the low demand for Mr. Page's toys is not surprising [3].
Finally, that same LEGO block appears in the story.
In 1958, the LEGO company offered its improvement to the Page blocks, which captivated children all over the world - the design of the Page blocks was equipped with connecting elements. (Fig. 4)
Fig. 4. Drawing of the interior of the LEGO block
This solution ensures a strong connection between the blocks in any position and, accordingly, the variability of their combinations. (Fig. 5)
Fig. 5. Drawing of a LEGO block in conjunction
Patents have been obtained for LEGO bricks [4], including in the UK (patent no. GB866557). At the same time, in order to avoid potential litigation, when entering the British market, the LEGO company acquired all rights to the blocks from Mr. Page [5].
Patent protection does not last forever.
LEGO blocks brought the company worldwide popularity and enormous profits. At the same time, the validity period of a patent for an invention does not exceed twenty years, after which it becomes public domain and can be used by anyone. In order not to give away such an important asset to competitors, the LEGO company took care of protecting its blocks from counterfeiting through other intellectual property tools.
The acquisition of legal protection was often associated with litigation; we will tell about the key moments of the story in the following publications.
List of sources
2. https://worldwide-i.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/010212512/publication/GB587206A?q=GB587206
3. Page 19 Lundahl J. The LEGO BRICK in the Borderzone Between forms of Protection. – 2005.
5. Page 19 Lundahl J. The LEGO BRICK in the Borderzone Between forms of Protection. – 2005.
