T.I. and Tiny win a US$71-million lawsuit against MGA

It's the third trial in a long legal battle involving the toymaker's L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of dolls.
September 25, 2024

Hip-hop artist Clifford “T.I.” Harris and singer/songwriter Tameka “Tiny” Harris have emerged victorious in their lawsuit against MGA Entertainment.

The married couple was awarded a settlement of more than US$71 million (US$17.9 million in real damages, plus US$53.6 million in punitive damages) by jurors after a three-week trial that examined their claim that MGA had copied a teen pop group they formed in 2009 called OMG Girlz.

In this unanimous ruling, seven specific dolls from the L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. collection (which MGA launched in 2019) were found to have infringed on the girl group’s name and likeness based on use of the “O.M.G.” phrase and certain outfits and hairstyles. 

It’s been a long IP battle for the music industry couple, following two unsuccessful attempts to sue MGA last year. The first ended in a mistrial, while the second cleared MGA of any wrongdoing. But a US district judge granted a third trial after finding flaws in jury instructions related to what’s known as the Rogers Test, which deals with the artistic or expressive purposes of trademark usage. 

In other MGA news, the toymaker is launching a range of Mean Girls-branded Bratz dolls next week in partnership with Paramount Consumer Products. The first “Cady” doll will aptly roll out on Mean Girls Day (October 3), with more releases to follow. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the classic teen movie, which returned to the big screen in January as a same-name musical reboot that grossed an impressive US$105 million against a US$36-million budget.

Featured image: L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fashion Show Mega Runway

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