International LEGO Day

Patent Attorney Gary Smith has been an avid LEGO enthusiast since receiving a huge box of second hand LEGO from his parents as a young child. This International LEGO Day, Gary explains the IP behind the innovation enjoyed by generations of children and adults alike.

 

Every year on 28 January, LEGO enthusiasts celebrate International LEGO Day which is the anniversary of the 1958 Danish patent application that changed the world of play forever. The patent application demonstrated Godtfred Kirk Christiansen’s and LEGO’s now‑iconic 4x2 stud (and 3 tube) brick design to solve the problems of stability and clutch power in previous toy building brick designs. In the process, laying the legal and creative foundation for the building system beloved across generations.

A small patent with a big impact

The 1958 Danish patent application, later granted as GB 866357 and U.S. Patent No. 3,005,282, secured the engineering brilliance behind LEGO's signature clutch power. This clever geometry not only allows bricks to connect and separate with precision and thus enables sophisticated and complex builds. Furthermore, the clutch power holds the bricks together with enough force that a build, for example, the Saturn V rocket over a metre tall can be stable but also be pulled apart by a child without specialist tools (other than the occasional tooth).

 

For 20 years, this patent gave LEGO complete exclusivity over its revolutionary system, allowing the company to expand globally and refine quality.

 

Building a legacy through IP

When core patents expired in the late 1970s, competitors entered the market, but LEGO had already shifted toward a wider IP strategy and introducing sets with could be protected by trademarks, design rights, and advanced technologies.

 

My LEGO journey

My own builds echo the LEGO story, from building using standard bricks and the excitement of my first ‘big’ LEGO set the mobile rocket launcher 6950, to my current Ideas and creator based builds.

 

LEGO and patents in the 21st century

Today, LEGO holds thousands of patents worldwide, supporting innovations in electronics, robotics, sensors, and interactive play.

 

For example the newly introduced SMART Play™ System employs key pieces that work together: The SMART Brick. A 2x4 LEGO brick that recognizes SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures. They have a built-in accelerometer which knows how it is being moved through the air;  The SMART Tags. These clever little tiles tell the SMART Brick what it should become, to help it play back with you; and The SMART Minifigures. When placed next to a SMART Brick, each SMART Minifigure reacts differently to its environment with unique sounds, moods and reactions, all of which are played through the SMART Brick. 

 

The SMART Play™ System is protected by a range of IP including US12059633 which covers neighbour position measurement to control interactions.

 

Why International LEGO day matters

International LEGO Day celebrates creativity, engineering, and the power of intellectual property to spark imagination worldwide. The 1958 patent didn't just protect a design, it launched millions of junior Engineers, Scientists and Artists into a global creative ecosystem.

 

This briefing is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice relating to your particular circumstances. We can discuss specific issues and facts on an individual basis. Please note that the law may have changed since the day this was first published in January 2026.