Finance
Rubik's Cube owner loses trademark battle with Greek rival
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Spin Master loses EU court battle over Rubik's Cube trademark to Greek rival Verdes Innovations, impacting the iconic puzzle's legal status.
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Rubik's Cube owner Spin Master Toys UK on Wednesday lost its battle against a Greek rival as Europe's second-highest court annulled trademarks related to the shape of the iconic puzzle.
Invented by Hungarian professor Erno Rubik in 1974, the multicoloured cube puzzle is popular among young and old, with hundreds of millions sold worldwide. The brand was acquired by Canadian children's entertainment company Spin Master in 2021.
Spin Master took its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court after Greece's Verdes Innovations SA in 2013 asked the EU trademark office to invalidate several trademarks registered by Spin Master's predecessor between 2008 and 2012.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) backed Verdes, saying Rubik's Cube trademarks had been registered contrary to EU law. The Greek company makes puzzle cubes under the V-CUBE brand.
The Luxembourg-based General Court backed EUIPO.
"The General Court confirms the annulment of trade marks consisting of the shape of the 'Rubik's cube'," judges said.
"As the essential characteristics of that shape are necessary to obtain a technical result, it should not have been registered as an EU trade mark," they said.
Spin Master Toys, which can appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe's highest, did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
The case is T-1170/23 Spin Master Toys UK v EUIPO - Verdes Innovations.
(Reporting by Foo Yun CheeEditing by Mark Potter)
Spin Master Toys UK lost its trademark battle against Verdes Innovations as the General Court annulled the trademarks related to the shape of the Rubik's Cube.
The Rubik's Cube was invented by Hungarian professor Erno Rubik in 1974 and has sold hundreds of millions of units worldwide.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office backed Verdes Innovations, stating that the Rubik's Cube trademarks were registered contrary to EU law.
Yes, Spin Master Toys has the option to appeal the ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union, which is Europe's highest court.
The court's ruling confirms that the shape of the Rubik's Cube, being essential for obtaining a technical result, should not have been registered as an EU trademark.
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