RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- The maker of Barbie dolls is taking the next step in its lengthy quest to sweep the rival Bratz line from toy store shelves, after winning $100 million in a copyright infringement lawsuit earlier this year.
Attorneys for Mattel Inc. (MAT, Fortune 500), the world's largest toy maker, are scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson on Monday and ask him to ban competitor MGA Entertainment Inc. from making the pouty-lipped Bratz dolls. They also want all Bratz products impounded and destroyed.
The motion for an injunction was filed after a federal jury ruled that Bratz doll designer Carter Bryant came up with the edgy concept while working for Mattel. The same jury later awarded Mattel $10 million for copyright infringement and $90 million for breach of contract after a trial that ended in August.
The current dispute centers on whether the jury found that only the first generation of Bratz dolls - which debuted in 2001 - infringed on Mattel's copyright or whether all the dolls in the line are in violation.
MGA has since marketed more than 40 Bratz characters and developed a number of spin-offs and related products, including Bratz Boyz, Bratz Petz and Baby Bratz.
Los Angeles-based MGA, which no longer makes the first-generation dolls, has argued that the later toys in the Bratz line don't violate the copyright and it can continue to sell them. Attorneys also say jurors awarded only a fraction of the $2 billion in damages Mattel had requested.
"The jury almost entirely rejected Mattel's request, awarding only $10 million for copyright infringement, with '0' awarded for future Bratz profits," MGA attorneys wrote in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Riverside.
But Mattel argues that all Bratz dolls are based on the original doll "sculpt," with its exaggerated, anime-style eyes, puffy lips, small nose and petite, curvy body.
"No such line can be drawn among the Bratz dolls," Mattel attorneys wrote in court papers. "The original four dolls and all later dolls are based on the same sculpt - the sculpt that was developed from Mattel's designs and infringes Mattel's copyrights."
Both companies have a lot riding on the judge's decision.
El Segundo-based Mattel has seen sales of Barbie - a doll that was once a rite of passage for American girls - slide since the doe-eyed Bratz dolls came on the scene. Domestic sales of Barbie were down 15% in 2007.
The Bratz brand, meanwhile, has raked in nearly $778 million in profits for privately held MGA through June 2008. The company, meanwhile, has sued its insurers for nearly $63 million on legal fees spent in the four-year doll fight.
_________________ If it's got wings, i can crash it!
Last edited by launchpad25 on Dec 04 2008 10:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
It's about fucking time. Do you know how many times I thought my daughter would grow up with Bratz dolls instead of Barbie?
I'm sorry, Bratz is probably the worst toy concept of all time. Pokemon, second. _________________ John R. Gibson
Host/Writer/Creator Video Masters TV
"The whole planet Houston?" -General Zod
"Am I supposed to conduct with my penis?" -Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
"What does God need with a starship?" - Star Trek V
I'm sorry, Bratz is probably the worst toy concept of all time. Pokemon, second.
Amen, Brother! Wonder Women, and She-Ra are much better role models for little girls than those mutated 'Powerpuff Girl' knock offs. (Don't get me wrong, I like The Powerpuff Girls, but these dolls look like bad imitations of them.) Congratulations, Mattel! You deserve a ham sandwich! _________________ If it's got wings, i can crash it!
_________________ John R. Gibson
Host/Writer/Creator Video Masters TV
"The whole planet Houston?" -General Zod
"Am I supposed to conduct with my penis?" -Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
"What does God need with a starship?" - Star Trek V
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