Patent Law

Unsurprising Speculation on Bratz Litigation Resolution: Licensing Agreement in the Works

By Les Weinstein, Michael Young, John Leo Wagner, Eric van Ginkel, and Victoria Pynchon

Doll Dispute Edges Toward a Deal from the Los Angeles Daily Journal (for subscribers only; excerpt below)

RIVERSIDE - The Bratz doll copyright fight appears to be edging closer to a settlement, with lawyers for two dueling toy manufacturers reviewing a mediator's proposal with their clients in attempts to resolve their differences.

By Jason W. Armstrong
Daily Journal Staff Writer

The jurist overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson, said in a case filing late Tuesday that "progress was made" at a court-ordered settlement conference Monday. He didn't go into specifics.

Last month, the court-appointed mediator, Pierre-Richard Prosper, told the judge in a hearing that while he felt the parties still had a lot of work to do to reach a settlement, they were "closer than ever" to resolving the five-year-old case, in which Mattel is fighting for control of rival MGA Entertainment's popular Bratz line. Larson then postponed discovery for a second phase of the trial to give the lawyers a chance to discuss a possible settlement with Prosper.

Although the lawyers aren't discussing the settlement talks, some intellectual property experts have speculated that resolution options for the case could include a licensing agreement in which MGA would continue making the dolls and pay Mattel a chunk of the proceeds.

The case is Bryant v. Mattel, CV04-9049 (C.D. Cal, filed 2004).

Full post as published by IP ADR Blog on June 04, 2009 (boomark / email).