MGA wins court battle over Mattel for Bratz rights
The Los Angeles Times has reported that a jury has sided with MGA Entertainment Inc. over Mattel Inc. in the retrial over who owns the rights to the billion-dollar Bratz franchise.
The decision came in federal court in Santa Ana, after eight days of jury deliberations and nearly three months of testimony.
The eight-person jury, made up of four men and four women, rejected Mattel’s copyright infringement claims; saying Mattel did not own the rights to the dolls, early models, or accessories and said MGA did not steal trade secrets.
Awards of monetary damages in the case were read in court, including an $88.5 million dollar award based on MGA’s claims that Mattel stole trade secrets. The decision was a major turnaround from the first trial in 2008, when a jury in Riverside sided with Mattel.
The company, which had claimed copyright infringement and breach of contract, was awarded $100 million in damages and MGA was ordered to turn over the franchise to Mattel and stop making and selling Bratz products.
The 2008 jury decision was overturned last year by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that MGA deserved credit for manufacturing and marketing the dolls.
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