Posted on 04/21/2011 4:28:27 PM PDT by mgstarr
Barbie just can't catch a break when it comes to those sassy Bratz dolls.
Barbie maker Mattel (MAT) got smacked down by a federal jury today, and was ordered to pay $88.5 million to rival MGA Entertainment in a dispute over the Bratz line.
In what's being called a stunning decision, the jury told Mattel that it does not own the Bratz dolls. The legal battle has been going since 2004, and one analyst said today that Mattel's failure to settle was a "tremendously bad decision" by management.
"It means they wasted $400 million or so of shareholder money to get zero return," the analyst told Reuters. Mattel shares dropped nearly 3% after the verdict, but later recovered to $26.68, down less than 1%.
At the heart of the case is Mattel's claim that Bratz creator Carter Bryant came up with the idea for the dolls while he was working at Mattel. Mattel also says MGA secretly conspired with Bryant to steal the idea. MGA countered that the Bratz concept came to Bryant while he was on an eight-month hiatus from Mattel.
The verdict was a momentous victory for MGA after a prolonged legal scuffle that turned ugly. Mattel executives had described a "rival-led Barbie genocide" in one internal memo, according to The Associated Press. "This is war and sides must be taken: Barbie stands for good. All others stand for evil," the memo read.
MGA's chief executive, Isaac Larian, wept as the verdict was read while Mattel's chief executive leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead with his hand, The Los Angeles Times reports. "It very well shows that in America, even huge corporations are not above the law," Larian told Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.msn.com ...
I've pretty much lived my life by this motto.
Oh I agree about them being trashy. But that wasn’t what the suit was about.
Too many corporations think that everything in the world is theirs for the stealing.
I think business schools are doing a tremendous disfavor, letting in basically a stream of leftwing and other wannabe mobsters.
So what’s the difference about? Big heads versus unnatural legs?
Start building huge philosophical and ethical significance into dolls, and you’ll be joining the hottentot with the o-bongos next :).
You can tell its Mattel....IT'S SWELL!
Bratz=crack whore in a box
They could just have easily have called them “Whorz” or “Slutz”
Good point. I wasn’t suggesting that they should loose nor that the government should ban them. I really like the American Girls dolls and so did my daughter when she was nine.
It is sad that many parents now look at dolls like this and say "Oh how cute!", but at the same time they wouldn't dream of letting their child have a G.I. Joe figure because of what he represents - you know: duty, honor, country... I have 5 of those G.I. Joes in the top of my closet waiting for my little guy to get just a little bit older so he can play with them. All branches are represented...
Regards,
Raven6
The makers of Bratz should be hung in the streets not winning millions.
When Barbie’s first came out they were thought to be sleezy and no one had ever made a doll that looked like a Barbie for little girls...they were always baby dolls...
First Barbie w/black & white swimsuit, sunglasses, red nail polish, big hoop earrings, etc...very risque...LOL! And now, VERY expensive.
If still in box, they go for thousands. My neice about 12 years ago sold her Barbie with a lot of clothes still in the boxes for 700 dollars, she was happy as white on rice..She was one of those rare children that took good care of everything she had, even the box was in good shape. The woman that bought the stuff got a deal....Hers was the first barbie out like the picture...Her Barbie has a better wardrobe than I did...I was jealous of that darn doll...:O)
I'd say so! We just sold one, completely naked, no earrings, no sunglasses, most nail polish and lipstick gone, rayon hair completely frizzled out...for over twice that!
I had lots of Barbie dolls as a girl, and my Grandma made exquisite clothing for them (she was a seamstress)...but I was just always certain that Barbie would look SO much better with a different haircut...you can imagine the results...LOL!
It was just the coolest 50's era convertible. Of course, we ran it across the floor and used it for the little dolls that went with the 50's era dollhouse that had belonged to my Aunt. A few years ago, I thought about that car, and realized that it was a (now collectible) dealer promo car.
Can’t stand these dolls and would not buy them for any little girl... they are HOE dolls...
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