The final verdict is in on T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris’ lawsuit against MGA Entertainment. The pair lost the $100 million legal battle, which surrounded one of the company’s most popular doll collections. In January, they sued MGA Entertainment, claiming that the company had produced a collection of dolls resembling OMG Girlz, a teen pop girl group created by Harris in 2009. “It’s horrible, but whatever,” Tiny told Law360 about the verdict. T.I. also added that he wants to “hear what the jurors have to say.”
“The animated OMG Dolls copy the OMG Girl distinctive physical appearance, hair styles and hair colors, dress and mimic the OMG Girl released sound recordings,” the lawsuit read. T.I. and Tiny tried to convince a jury that the “L.O.L. Surprise OMG Girls” dolls showcased “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property.” They also added that MGA Entertainment was stealing the likeness of a group of “young multicultural women.” The initial lawsuit was declared a mistrial, based on MGA’s claim the trial was unfair due to cultural appropriation accusations.
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T.I. And Tiny Claim MGA Copied OMG Girlz
MGA’s Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian called the verdict “a shakedown,” claiming to be “glad they came back with this verdict so fast.” He added that he “feels great” following the ruling. A spokesperson for MGA told LAMag in January, “In claiming inaccurately that MGA Entertainment copied their ‘unique’ look, they are unjustifiably seeking millions of dollars from the design and sale of our hit toy line.” He also added that the company intended to to “fiercely defend ourselves and our talented artists and designers, as we explain to the court how they created our best-selling toys with no influence from the OMG Girlz group.”
Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff documented the lawsuit in January on her Twitter account. “There are big cultural misappropriation and racism issues being considered in litigation, among other pre-trial issues,” she wrote. Cuniff also added that she heard, “There will be 31 dolls at issue in trial. An MGA lawyer says that means there will be 31 mini trials, as the creative origins of each doll are explored in full.”
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