A US federal judge has banned MGA Entertainment Inc from making and selling its hugely popular Bratz dolls in a sweeping decision that rival Mattel Inc hailed as a major victory in the companies’ four-year doll fight.
US District Judge Stephen Larson ordered MGA Entertainment to immediately stop manufacturing the pouty-lipped dolls but said it could wait until the holiday season ends to remove the toys from store shelves.
The decision was a stunning defeat for MGA, which exploded onto the tween scene in 2001 with the edgy, urban-influenced dolls and made hundreds of millions in profits, giving Mattel’s doll diva Barbie a run for her money.
The ruling, filed on Wednesday in federal court in Riverside, followed a jury’s finding that Bratz doll designer Carter Bryant developed the concept for the Bratz dolls while working for Mattel.
The same jury later awarded Mattel US$10 million for copyright infringement and US$90 million for breach of contract after a lengthy trial stemming from Mattel’s 2004 lawsuit ended in August.
MGA spokesman Sandra Ravan did not immediately return a call for comment late on Wednesday. It was unclear if MGA planned to appeal Larson’s ruling.
A Mattel attorney said the ruling was a huge victory for the toy giant, which has fought to neutralize the Bratz line for years. The dolls — with their huge lips, pug noses, almond-shaped eyes and coquettish figures — were an instant hit with young girls. MGA had taken Bryant’s original four dolls and spun out a line of more than 40 characters, complete with accessories and related toys such as Bratz Boyz, Bratz Petz and Baby Bratz.
The judge’s injunction named all 40 dolls in the Bratz line, including the four originals — Yasmine, Chloe, Sasha and Jade.
Larson also ordered MGA to reimburse its vendors and distributors for the cost of the dolls and all shipping charges for sending them back.
“It’s a pretty sweeping victory,” Mattel attorney Michael Zeller said late on Wednesday.
“It’s clearly their major product line,” he said. “As an example of the scope of the ruling, Bratz.com is [now] owned by Mattel. They have no right to use Bratz for any goods or services at all.”
During trial, Mattel attorneys said MGA made nearly US$778 million on the Bratz line since it was introduced seven years ago, and company chief executive Isaac Larian made US$696 million through June — but MGA insisted the profits were much less.
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