Rubik’s Cube owner looks to solve trademark problem
The company that owns the rights to the Rubik’s Cube has sued Duncan Toys Company and Toys “R” Us for allegedly creating and selling knock-off versions of the famous puzzle.
Rubik’s Brand, which produces the toy—made by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik in 1974—accused Duncan Toys of creating products that “copy and emulate the distinctive appearance” of the Rubik’s Cube despite having minor changes.
“Changing black to white and slight rounding of the corners does not negate a likelihood of confusion,” it stated in the claim.
Rubik’s Brand further accused Toys “R” US of causing irreparable harm to its reputation by selling the products.
“Consumers who expect to receive plaintiff’s Rubik’s Cube will be disappointed when using defendants’ imitation twist puzzle cube,” it added.
Rubik’s Brand owns US trademark numbers 1,265,094 and 2,285,794 relating to the Rubik’s Cube.
As a result of the alleged infringement, the company is seeking injunctive relief, a destruction of all infringing goods, a transfer of profits derived from the infringement, triple damages, costs and a jury trial.
The Rubik’s Cube was first patented in 1975 and went on to become one of the best-selling toys of all time, having sold over 300 million cubes worldwide, according to statistics.
The world record for solving the puzzle stands at 4.904 seconds, according to the “ Guinness Book of World Records”.
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