Reinvigorated after spending $500,000 on a self-congratulatory awards dinner in which it handed out "lifetime achievement" awards, the two-year old Dept. of Homeland Security went after an extremely dangerous toy store owner who was selling a knockoff of a Rubik's Cube. We can all sleep a little more soundly tonight.
The next day, two men arrived at the store and showed Cox their badges. The lead agent asked Cox whether she carried a toy called the Magic Cube. She said yes. The Magic Cube, he said, was an illegal copy of the Rubik's Cube, one of the most popular toys of all time. He told her to remove the Magic Cube from her shelves, and he watched to make sure she complied.
The whole thing took about 10 minutes.
After the agents left, Cox called the manufacturer of the Magic Cube, the Toysmith Group, which is based in Auburn, Wash. A representative told her that the Homeland Security agents had it wrong. The Rubik's Cube patent had expired, and the Magic Cube did not infringe on rival toy's trademark.
Link (Thanks, Ben!)
