Mattel wins Bratz case
By Staff -- Playthings, 7/17/2008 4:23:00 PM
RIVERSIDE, Calif.—A federal jury this afternoon handed Mattel victory in its case against MGA Entertainment, agreeing to Mattel’s argument that the doll brand was created while its designer was still under contract to Mattel.
According to Reuters, the decision strips MGA of rights to all original drawings and sculpts of Bratz but leaves open to MGA the argument that Mattel “has no rights to the dolls themselves because they are different from the drawings and were made by MGA designers.”
The jury also ruled that Isaac Larian, MGA’s CEO, interfered with Mattel's contractual relationship with Bratz creator Carter Bryant and that therefore both he and MGA were guilty of "conversion," or industrial theft, Reuters reported.
Click here for Mattel's post-decision statement on the case.
As a private company, MGA Entertainment doesn't report Bratz's sales figures but published reports tag the fashion doll's worth at nearly $1 billion annually.
