Lego Loses Monopoly

Today in capitalism: Lego's monopoly over the studded rectangular plastic brick market has been busted. After a challenge from rival Canadian toymaker Mega Brands, judges decided that a rectangle with studs is "necessary to obtain a technical result" and is not a specialized feature of Lego's blocks. Lego tried to argue that consumers identified such bricks with their brand and that consumer perception should be taken into consideration, but the court disagreed. Perhaps Lego can salvage some satisfaction from the fact that people will call their new competitors' toys "Legos" anyway.