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Everyone I see on here and mostly everywhere else (including LEGO boxes) LEGO is written as LEGO. I always thought it should be written like Lego until I came here.

Why is it always written in uppercase? This seems to also be done by The LEGO Group, as it is on their boxes and website. Is LEGO an acronym, or is that just how it is?

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    Sidenote: I always thought it should be written like Lego until I came here. – And you are correct. Never trust companies to spell their own name correctly. Here and here are some arguments by a professional copy editor about that.
    – Wrzlprmft
    Feb 26, 2017 at 11:32
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    Before I came here I thought that the LEGO Group wrote their name that way and that it wasn't a standard. This question was asking clarification if that was actually a standard.
    – William V.
    Feb 28, 2017 at 0:48

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No, it's not an acronym.

The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

All-caps is how the LEGO company asks to have their brand treated.

Using the LEGO® brand

  • ALWAYS write the LEGO brand name in capital letters.
  • ALWAYS use a descriptive noun after the LEGO brand name, it must never appear on its own.
    • E.g. wrong use: I play with LEGO.
    • E.g. correct use: I play with LEGO bricks.
  • ALWAYS accompany the LEGO brand name by the Registered symbol ® in headlines and the first time it appears in copy text.
  • NEVER use the LEGO brand name as a generic term, add a possessive ‘s,’ plural ‘s’ or hyphen.
    • E.g. wrong use: LEGO’s, LEGOs, LEGO-bricks.
    • E.g. correct use: the LEGO brand’s, LEGO bricks.
  • NEVER use the Registered symbol ® in connection with a company name.
    • E.g. wrong use: LEGO® System A/S.
    • E.g. correct use: LEGO System A/S.
  • NEVER change or adjust the graphical design of the LEGO logo.

Thank you for helping us protect the LEGO® brand!

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    But why does this particular site care about Lego's official policy? It's certainly legal to ignore their recommendations in Questions and Answers.
    – JonathanReez
    Feb 26, 2017 at 17:02
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    @NikitaSokolsky True, but much of the LEGO community in general (not just this site) follows the all-caps guideline. Not everyone does, but it is very common in the community.
    – Alexander O'Mara
    Feb 26, 2017 at 17:14
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Alexander O'Mara's answer is correct, however I'd like to add the reasoning behind LEGO's desire to impose such strict rules on their name's usage.

According to the copyright laws generic terms can't be a protected trademark and thus if people start using "lego" as a term to describe any bricks-based game - they might loose the exclusivity to their brand. There is an entire list of terms that lost their exclusivity and protection.

Take a look at Google's Rules of proper usage for their brand. They sound an awful lot similar to ones imposed by Lego and the thing is - they are just afraid of the term "googling" in regards to any internet search.

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