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.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique