Tangle, Inc. owns registered copyrights in seven “kinetic and manipulable sculptures” (also known as “The Original Fidget Toy Since 1981”), each made of “17 or 18 identical, connected, 90-degree curved tubular segments … that can be twisted or turned 360 degrees where any two segments connect. By twisting or turning a segment, the sculpture can be manipulated to create many different poses.”

Tangle® Sculpture

As noted, the original Tangle sculptures have been offered since 1981, when their creator, Richard E. Zawitz, registered his copyright claims in “Zawitz tangle ornamental sculpture[s]” in his own name; Zawitz subsequently transferred copyright ownership to Tangle, Inc.