The LEGO Group officially requests that you never use the word 'Legos.'

The LEGO Group has been fiercely protective of its brand identity since the name was coined in 1934 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. Under international trademark law, if a brand name becomes a common noun for a general category of products, the company can lose its exclusive legal rights to the name. This process is known as 'genericide.' Examples of brands that lost their trademarks this way include Aspirin, Escalator, and Cellophane.To prevent this, the company's official brand guidelines state that the word LEGO must always be written in all capital letters and used as an adjective. It should always be followed by a noun, such as 'bricks,' 'elements,' or 'products.' By discouraging the use of the plural 'Legos,' the company ensures the name remains a distinct identifier of their specific brand rather than a generic term for all plastic building blocks.The company even addressed this directly on social media and in catalogs during the 1970s and 1980s, reminding consumers that their bricks are 'LEGO bricks' and not 'Legos.' Legal departments at LEGO monitor the market closely to ensure competitors do not use the name. This strategy is vital for maintaining their multi-billion dollar intellectual property value in the global toy industry.