Verdict reached in Bratz trial; decision to be announced Thursday morning
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
After eight days of deliberation, a jury has reached a verdict in the case over who owns the Bratz doll line.
The decision will be read at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the courtroom of Judge David O. Carter in federal court in Santa Ana.
The verdict comes after nearly three months of testimony.
A major point of contention centers on when and where Bratz creator and former Barbie designer Carter Bryant came up with the idea for the wildly popular multiethnic dolls known for their oversized heads, pouty lips and risque clothing.
Bryant testified that he came up with the idea for Bratz in 1998 when he was on a break from Mattel Inc. and living with his parents in Missouri.
El Segundo-based Mattel said that he came up with the idea in 1999 during his second stint with the company and that he violated the terms of his ‘inventions agreement’ by taking the concept for the dolls to rival MGA Entertainment, the Van Nuys company that produced the billion-dollar franchise.
During the original trial in 2008, 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.
The jury’s decision was overturned last year by an appeals court, which ruled that MGA deserved ‘sweat equity’ for manufacturing and marketing the dolls.
-- Andrea Chang
