copyright trademark patents
questions about the Rubik&#39;s cube trademark/copyright/patent
<p>i checked <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/6923/rubiks-cube-image-rights">Rubik&#39;s cube image rights</a> and i'm still confused about the legal protection of Rubik's cube.
I know the patent expired and their 3d trademark lost a case in EU. </p>

<p>Does this imply they don't own the exclusive rights to the concept of 3x3x3 cube with rotating sides?</p>

<p>Can I legally manufacture and sell a blank wooden 3x3x3 block that rotates with no pictures/color? (under the assumption that rotating mechanics are different)</p>

<p>This patent was found <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US6974130B2/en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://patents.google.com/patent/US6974130B2/en</a>, which expired in 2014 for failure to pay maintenance fees.  Looking at the patents which cite it, and also show prior art, may help paint the picture of the developed patent status.</p>

<p>There are also numerous blogs and articles on the cube and it's history.</p>

<p><a href="https://blog.jipel.law.nyu.edu/2015/10/the-legal-puzzle-of-the-rubiks-cube/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://blog.jipel.law.nyu.edu/2015/10/the-legal-puzzle-of-the-rubiks-cube/</a></p>

<p>This one covers some initial patent infringement against Ideal.
<a href="https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-patent-intellectual-property/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/rubiks-cube-patent-intellectual-property/</a></p>

<p>The wiki on the toy also has patent history.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_Cube" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_Cube</a></p>

<p>When I took a patent course at HLS, one of the final exam questions, which I did not elect to answer was on the Rubik's cube.  It is a complex story.</p>
