An EU court has ruled that the shape of Lego’s figures is a protected trademark and cannot be copied.

The trademark was registered by Lego back in 2000 but it has been challenged by its competitors.

Construction toy company Best-Lock had challenged Lego’s attempt to protect the shape of its human figures. However, the appeal was dismissed yesterday by the General Court of the European Union.

The court stated that the essential elements of Lego’s figures had nothing to do with its ability to join them to other building blocks.

Mega Bloks prevented Lego from registering a red toy building brick as a trademark in 2010.