CA Court Enjoins Bratz Maker from Manufacturing and Selling Dolls

Holding:

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued an order of injunction that permanently enjoined Bratz doll-maker MGA Entertainment Inc. ("MGA") from manufacturing and selling its controversial toy products. In its order, the district court ordered MGA to immediately stop the manufacture and sales of the Bratz lines, and deliver all of its Bratz merchandise to its rival Mattel, Inc. “Mattel”), the maker of Barbie doll. A separate order declared that Mattel owns all right and title, including all copyrights, to the Bratz-related works that former Mattel employee Carter Bryant conceived or created while employed by Mattel, as found by the jury.

Detailed Summary:

In granting Mattel’s motion, the district court held, “Factually, the hardship on MGA weighs very heavily upon the court.”  But the district court, “in the final analysis, must afford this very little, if any, weight.” The district court further wrote that while there was a “strong economic interest” in keeping a profitable company healthy during challenging economic times, “there is also a strong public interest in enforcing copyright laws.”

By way of background, the jury on July 17, 2008 found that Bryant conceptualized the Bratz character and name while he was still under contract with Mattel.  In that earlier verdict,…

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