Friday, October 29, 2004

Homeland Security -- Keeping America Safe from Rubik's Cube Knock-Offs

Small business owner Stephanie Cox was the target of a Homeland Security Department investigation. Her suspicious activity -- selling something called the "Magic Cube." It's basically the same toy as the old "Rubik's Cube" from the 1980s. Agents called, then visited her toy store, and ordered that she pull the product from the shelves.

What was the problem? Were the cubes made of plastic explosives? Did they fund terrorist toy makers?

Nope. A rival toy company claimed patent infringement. The maker of the "Magic Cube" says the patent expired years ago.

But we can all sleep better tonight knowing that the DHS's toy patent color coded alert level has dropped to "Baby Blue." (ABC)

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