Did the Court of Justice of the European Union Solve the Puzzle by Declaring the Rubik’s Cube Trademark Invalid?

Abstract

Abstract In 1995, the patent protection for the internationally famous Rubik’s Cube expired. Ernő Rubik, the Hungarian inventor of the three-dimensional puzzle, had to find an alternative way to maintain his monopoly on the market and thus had the shape of the Cube registered as a 3D Community trademark in 1996. However, the idea of perpetuating the exclusive rights related to the Rubik’s Cube only proved to be successful for ten years, as in 2006 Simba Toys GmbH & Co. KG, a German competitor of Rubik, filed an application for declaration of invalidity against the 3D Rubik’s Cube trademark. The application was based on the lack of distinctive character, descriptiveness and functionality of the 3D trademark. This was rejected by OHIM. The invalidity case ended up before the Court of Justice of the European Union, upon the appeal of the German competitor. The Court found that the Rubik’s Cube trademarks should have been declared invalid, and transferred the case back to OHIM, which then had to bring a new decision that was in line with the interpretation of the CJEU. The study analyses the two rounds of invalidity proceedings, the key issues which emerged throughout the case, the interpretation of functionality by OHIM and the CJEU, and the legal background and the prospect for 3D shape marks in the EU.