Its a Bratz World

Happily Ever Over, full length video :)

2009-11-05T16:43:37Z

Happily Ever Over, an epic tale from cmerry on Vimeo.

The holiday video I have been working on for awhile is finally done :) Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Statement from MGA Entertainment Re: Ruling on Mattel's Motion for Injunction

2008-12-31T03:46:08Z

Statement from MGA Entertainment Re: Ruling on Mattel's Motion for Injunction

LOS ANGELES, Dec 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Last night, US District Judge Stephen Larson granted Mattel's request for an injunction to stop MGA Entertainment from selling certain Bratz products. "We believe the jury verdict was clear in denying 99% of Mattel's copyright infringement claim and that issuing such a broad injunction is inconsistent with the limited jury verdict and the law," said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA. Larian added that "MGA intends to immediately appeal the injunction Mattel was granted."
While the Order does provide that it will be stayed until February 2009 while the Court considers additional legal briefing on post-trial issues, MGA will request that the stay be extended pending resolution of MGA's appeal. "We will seek to stay enforcement of this Order until our appeal is resolved so we can maintain the over 1500 people that MGA employs, and continue to give our consumers a product they desire," Larian stated.
Further, the Order acknowledges that "[t]here is a strong economic interest, especially in these troubled times, in maintaining a profitable enterprise as a going concern," and MGA agrees, citing this as one of the important facts it will raise when it seeks to stay enforcement of the Order until its appeal is resolved.
Notably, Judge Larson previously stated Mattel's request was "quite a leap," and stated that "the measurable value to Bratz, the brand Bratz, to the dolls Bratz, to everything that came of it, is so much a function of what Isaac Larian and his team at MGA put into it." The broad Order is surprising given these foregoing sentiments and MGA looks forward to its opportunity to present its appeal to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
SOURCE: MGA Entertainment, Inc.

OT When in San Diego, EAT HERE! :)

2008-12-30T10:43:13Z

Eat! :) Bring joy to worthwhile people
http://www.pierresplace.org/homepage/homepage.html

A classmate of mine is the director of an amazing program for homeless teens in San Diego. It gives them an education, self esteem and job skills, along with an appreciation for music and the arts.

Pierre's Place is a gorgeous cozy place with great food that will help raise money for them and also teach admin skills for running a business. So you know you love to eat great food- go here whenever you are in San Diego.

Make your tummy happy and help fund the future of homeless teens who just want to be a part of the world and live good lives and get a great education.

Pierre's Place
Originally uploaded by happylolday.

Pierre's Place 2
Originally uploaded by happylolday.

OT Fire Maiden

2008-12-20T15:48:02Z

Please come read story I just posted called "Fire Maiden"
click the photo

News, MGA appeals ban over the making and selling of Bratz dolls

2008-12-20T15:45:29Z

Hello everybody :) Hope you are having a great weekend!
This is the next stage, so cross fingers and toes that this craziness
can stop! grrrrr....
Okay now go back to having a good weekend!
:)
sfb

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mga20-2008dec20,0,1697910.story
From the Los Angeles Times
MGA appeals ban over the making and selling of Bratz dolls
If the company doesn't get a reprieve by Dec. 31, it will suffer
irreparable harm, the toy maker says in a filing with the Court of
Appeals in San Francisco.
Bloomberg News

December 20, 2008

MGA Entertainment Inc., maker of Bratz dolls, filed an emergency
request Friday with a U.S. appeals court to stay a court order barring
it from making and selling the dolls while it appeals the ruling.

If MGA doesn't get a stay by Dec. 31, the Van Nuys company will suffer
irreparable harm, it said in a redacted filing with the U.S. 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

MGA's customers want assurances by the end of the year that the dolls
won't be pulled off the shelves in February, Jerome Falk, a lawyer for
MGA, said.

"Because of the nature of this business, decisions are made way in
advance," Falk said Friday in a phone interview. "Creditors,
manufacturers, everybody who does business with them wants assurances."

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson in Riverside on Dec. 3 granted
Mattel Inc.'s request to stop MGA from making most Bratz dolls. A jury
earlier found that a Mattel designer came up with the Bratz name and
characters and secretly took the idea to MGA. Larson said his order
wouldn't go into effect until after he had ruled on both sides'
post-trial motions. A hearing on those motions is set for Feb. 11.

MGA also filed a request for a stay pending appeal with the district
court, but Larson isn't likely to rule on it before the end of the
year, the company said in Friday's filing.

Lisa Marie Bongiovanni, a spokeswoman for El Segundo-based Mattel,
didn't return a call to her office after business hours.

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Current State

2008-12-06T20:53:12Z

This was posted this morning in the news.

****
"But Cooke said once the judge found the original design and concept
of the Bratz dolls infringed on Mattel's copyrights, his only logical
choice was to issue a sweeping order that covers almost all aspects of
the Bratz franchise.

"While it initially seems very broad, it's the natural and only
conclusion the court may have been able to reach," said Cooke, who is
not connected with the case."
***

So why even bother with a jury trial even they didn't think Mattel had a right to
ownership just a (smaller than they wanted) payment and royalty on the
first line and how can this make any sense when the original 4
drawings of Carter's do not belong to Mattel? Even Larson is going
against his own opinion now too.

So let's hope we get a good observant wide awake judge on the appeal.
This whole mess could be totally thrown OUT :)

:)
sfb

************
http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=73491414.5851254.1717157.539465\
8.8770671.699&aID2=132080

MGA Draws Up Battle Plan After Doll Verdict
By CHARLES PROCTOR - 12/8/2008
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

Editor's Note: A version of this story appears in the Dec. 8 edition
of the Business Journal.

Thanks to Bratz dolls, Isaac Larian transformed MGA Entertainment Inc.
from a small-time exporter of electronics into one of the largest
private toy manufacturers in the world.

And he said he intends to keep Bratz, even if he has to go all the way
to the U.S. Supreme Court. But experts say the fight is unlikely to
get that far, so his best hope is to win on his upcoming appeal.

After a federal judge last week ordered Van Nuys-based MGA to turn
over the rights to its powerhouse Bratz franchise to rival Mattel Inc.
because of copyright infringement, the toy manufacturer's best – and
perhaps only – shot at survival now rests with the U.S. Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals.

If the Ninth Circuit does not overturn U.S. District Judge Stephen
Larson's order, Larian, chief executive of MGA, told the Business
Journal he plans to go the Supreme Court.

But it's highly unlikely the highest court would agree to hear a spat
over the right to produce toy dolls, said Neil Netanel, a professor of
copyright law at UCLA.

"Usually the Supreme Court will hear a case when there's a split among
circuit courts or it's a very important issue," Netanel said. "I would
be very surprised if they thought this rose to that level."

Larson's order, which came down Wednesday, would strip MGA of its key
product line, the Bratz dolls known for their hip, urban-influenced
attitude, and turn it over to El Segundo-based Mattel, manufacturer of
the more straight-laced Barbie doll franchise.

The order won't be enforced until after the judge has ruled on
post-trial motions at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 11. And while MGA
appeals the decision, a process that could take at least a year, it
could also ask the Ninth Circuit for a stay pending appeal.

Michelle Cooke, an intellectual property lawyer in the Los Angeles
office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, said the Ninth Circuit would be more
likely to grant such a request if MGA can provide evidence the loss of
the Bratz line would have a devastating impact on the company. That
would then buy MGA more time to figure out the next move.

"If the appellate court refuses to suspend the injunction and MGA goes
out of business in six month's time and then they win the appeal, well
it's too late," she said.

Billion-dollar dolls

Analysts estimated that the Bratz franchise accounts for at least half
of MGA's business. In 2005, when the craze over the trendy fashion
dolls with almond-shaped eyes, hip clothes and faces adorned with eye
shadow and lip gloss was at its peak, global sales of Bratz dolls and
related products hit close to $2 billion.

That success catapulted Larian and MGA into the upper echelons of the
toy manufacturing world and generated a wealth of spin-offs, including
a feature film.

The possible reversal of fortune might force Larian to sell all or
part of his company, said Jim Silver, an editor at Timetoplaymag.com
and a toy industry analyst.

"This is a crushing blow to MGA, unless Isaac wins the appeal," Silver
said."

Larien dismissed such talk in an e-mail to the Business Journal.
"Being a private company, we don't focus on what analysts speculate,"
he wrote. In a statement issued after the decision, MGA expressed
surprise at the scope of the judge's order, which gives Mattel all
molds, marketing material and items related to Bratz and applies to
all versions of the Bratz franchise.

But Cooke said once the judge found the original design and concept of
the Bratz dolls infringed on Mattel's copyrights, his only logical
choice was to issue a sweeping order that covers almost all aspects of
the Bratz franchise.

"While it initially seems very broad, it's the natural and only
conclusion the court may have been able to reach," said Cooke, who is
not connected with the case.

A federal jury in Riverside earlier this year found that a Mattel
designer came up with the Bratz name and characters while still at the
company and improperly took the idea to MGA. The jury awarded Mattel
$100 million in damages, and Mattel then filed for an injunction
seeking to bar MGA from making any more Bratz dolls.

Wednesday's ruling represents a windfall for Mattel, as Bratz was
taking market share from the Barbie franchise. Mattel could pick up a
product line that can generate at least $100 million in sales
annually, said Chris Byrne, an independent toy consultant.

"There's no reason for Mattel to walk away from Bratz," Byrne said.
********

Join the ongoing discussion of the case on Bratz World
http://www.bratzworld.tv

Art by Furjay!

MGA's Statement on the ruling

2008-12-05T01:21:27Z

Statement from MGA Entertainment Re: Ruling on Mattel's Motion for
Injunction

Last update: 4:23 a.m. EST Dec. 4, 2008

LOS ANGELES, Dec 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Last night, US District
Judge Stephen Larson granted Mattel's request for an injunction to
stop MGA Entertainment from selling certain Bratz products. "We
believe the jury verdict was clear in denying 99% of Mattel's
copyright infringement claim and that issuing such a broad injunction
is inconsistent with the limited jury verdict and the law," said Isaac
Larian, CEO of MGA. Larian added that "MGA intends to immediately
appeal the injunction Mattel was granted."
While the Order does provide that it will be stayed until February
2009 while the Court considers additional legal briefing on post-trial
issues, MGA will request that the stay be extended pending resolution
of MGA's appeal. "We will seek to stay enforcement of this Order until
our appeal is resolved so we can maintain the over 1500 people that
MGA employs, and continue to give our consumers a product they
desire," Larian stated.
Further, the Order acknowledges that "[t]here is a strong economic
interest, especially in these troubled times, in maintaining a
profitable enterprise as a going concern," and MGA agrees, citing this
as one of the important facts it will raise when it seeks to stay
enforcement of the Order until its appeal is resolved.

Notably, Judge Larson previously stated Mattel's request was "quite a
leap," and stated that "the measurable value to Bratz, the brand
Bratz, to the dolls Bratz, to everything that came of it, is so much a
function of what Isaac Larian and his team at MGA put into it." The
broad Order is surprising given these foregoing sentiments and MGA
looks forward to its opportunity to present its appeal to the U.S.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

SOURCE: MGA Entertainment, Inc.

You can join the discussion of the case here on Bratz World
http://www.bratzworld.tv

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Ruling is wrong

2008-12-05T01:14:48Z

You can join the ongoing discussion about this on Bratz World
http://www.bratzworld.tv

In response to a post questioning whether emotions clouded our judgment on Mattel's actions. Certainly there are "emotions" but the facts no matter what anyone feels are clear to me, this was not a fair trial in any sense.

Why this ruling is wrong IMO

Hey everybody I just got home and I saw a message about the trial and
I just wanted to post why I believe this case is SO wrong and not
legally correct.

Sure Carter did a very bad thing being so casual with who and what he
did once he began the Bratz line but:

The judge/jury did not give Mattel the first four drawings he did- and
that would be when the line was created so what is the point of all of
this legal wrangling?

The judge has made disparaging remarks from the beginning that makes
it clear he did not like MGA, Carter or this case because he dealt
with life and death issues in other cases and this was just property-
he was not unbiased.

The jury had a racist in their midst in the first phase of the trial
and only one person came forward. The judge has written comments
trying to imply the whole jury came forward but they did not until
confronted when the one person came forward. He seemed to think a
majority of a jury being okay with going forward with a juror who said
that Iranian people were dishonest thieves didn't mean the jury was
not good. The one racist was removed but the rest of the jury went
forward to the rest of the case. And remember only one of them had
come forward when the racist made those remarks.

The jury awarded a low amount compared to what Mattel wanted and said
they didn't believe MGA should have to be penalized for later lines
besides the first and even the judge said the value of the dolls was
due to MGA's work on them.

Now he is suddenly taking ALL of the lines and MGA's work away? Just
because he is a judge and an adult doesn't mean he was unbiased in
this case and the jury having a racist with them? With these
conditions does this seem like a fair trial?

The first drawings Carter ever did when he created the line were NOT
among the drawings given to Mattel- and wouldn't that be the moment
they were created?

Whatever work he did later at Mattel- whatever dolls might have been
affected by that later work, sure he messed up and Mattel might get a
royalty from those dolls but now to say the WHOLE LINE is theirs?
There is something seriously messed up about this whole trial and this
is just looking at facts, not emotions.
sfb

Happily Ever Over, an illustrated holiday epic :)

2008-11-27T01:20:45Z

Happy Holidays everybody!

Happily Ever Over
Originally uploaded by happylolday.

Click the picture above to go to the Epic Holiday Tale
"Happily Ever Over"
A history of the "truth" behind the fairytales.. :)

Happily Ever Over is an epic tale that explains a lot of what you you never understood about holidays. An economic crisis among the magical creatures leads to crime and adventure, involving the Pied Piper who lives in his extermination van after his wife left him, an investigator who loves a mysterious ghost, and Santa Claus as you’ve never seen him -a time-traveling, whip-cracking descendant of grizzly bears! It’s a long story, but one you’ll never forget. Written and illustrated by C Merry, first published in 2003 as a gift to her friends.
~Neatorama

Thank you Dan and Rockhoppers Daily Grind
Happily Ever Over is an amazing holiday epic. Subtitled "How Santa Saved The World Then Lost It All", the story is billed as a never before recalled history of something no one remembers anymore. I'm a big fan of fairy tales, mythology, and Christmas. This story winds them all together with a sense of whimsy.
Written and illustrated by CMerry during a period of illness, the story has only previously been published in hand-made collages, as gifts for friends. The illustrations are marvelous. Let's be grateful that CMerry has shared this lovely story with us, and look for a book deal, I'm sure.
Rockhoppers Daily Grind

"Wear" schoolgirls get chance to design for Bratz pack

2008-10-22T14:10:54Z

Wear schoolgirls get chance to design for Bratz pack

Gemma Waugh, left, and Laura Reed, both 14, have the chance to design outfits for Bratz dolls.

As mentioned here:
http://bratzworld.livejournal.com/90406.html

22 October 2008
A chance in a lifetime is on offer to two schoolgirls as they battle it out on a reality TV show to become designers for the multimillion-pound Bratz empire.

Sunderland pals, Gemma Waugh and Laura Reed, from the city's Venerable Bede School, ware hoping to win a trip to design a new range of Bratz fashion dolls in Los Angeles, California.

The Wearside teenagers are among the lucky five pairs who will feature in the six-part Bratz Design Academy show on the Nickelodeon channel, starting on Friday.

The programme, which will be hosted by Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon, will feature guest judges, including girl band The Saturdays, stars of award-winning musical Hairspray and top fashion designer Ben de Lisi.

In each episode, the judges will set the competitors a new challenge and work with the teams before their design is revealed on the catwalk.
And the pair of fashionable friends who win the final will be awarded the dream trip.

"I was ecstatic when I heard we'd got through to take part in the Bratz Design Academy," said Gemma, 14. "Laura and I worked on the competition entry in our textiles lesson at school.

"Our teacher, was just over the moon for us when we heard we'd got through. I've learnt so much and made heaps of new friends. I'm just so excited to watch it on TV."

Laura, also 14, said: "Gemma and I were so amazed when we heard we'd got through and I was speechless that we'd be competing alongside some of the other best young designers in the country. I'm not bothered if we win or not as the whole experience has just been incredible."

Bratz represents a multimillion-pound franchise for MGA Entertainment.
The 10-inch dolls are characterized by large heads with wide eyes, full lips, very small noses, short torsos, and shoes that can be snapped on and off.

The popularity of the four primary dolls – Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade – eventually encouraged development of additional friends, spin-offs, feature films, games, music albums, and a successful television series.

Zoe Salmon, said: "The girls in the show are so talented and the prize is a dream-come-true for any budding designer, plus we've got some fantastic guests helping them along their journey. I can't wait to see who wins."

The first episode will be shown on Nickelodeon this Friday at 5.30pm.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Wear-schoolgirls-get-chance-to.4616652.jp

OT, Malan Breton's Fashion Week Show 9/11/08

2008-09-13T10:13:43Z

Click the gorgeous model for many pix and videos of behind the scenes glimpses of Malan Breton's gorgeous Fashion Week show! :)

Bratz fan wins photography contest in the UK

2008-09-04T17:02:13Z

Library Photographic Competition Winners

Junior members of the Library entered a competition for the best local photograph and six winners were chosen. 1st prize went to Kayleigh Reed, aged 7, who attends St. Mary’s School. The train station is her favourite place in Newton Aycliffe because she likes railways. She used a Kodak easy share digital camera. Kayleigh’s other hobbies are card making and Bratz!

For all of the great entries click here and here

Winning Photo, Kayleigh Reed, aged 7

Bratz Gear selling well for Back to School!

2008-09-02T05:08:23Z

Late shoppers gear up for school
Steven Lane/The Columbian
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer

School starts Wednesday for most Clark County students.
For 6-year-old Emma Brooks, getting ready is all about pink and brown.
Mix-and-match pants and tops, skirts and leggings, stacked in the shopping cart at Target on Monday, mean she’ll be fashion forward when she starts first grade at River HomeLink school in Camas this week.
Emma’s grandparents helped out with shoes and trendy outerwear from upscale stores, said mom Shelley Brooks. Monday’s shopping spree was for stocking up on the basics.
“She won’t wear a skirt without leggings or short shorts,” Shelley Brooks said. “She does have a sense of fashion. She knows what she wants, even at 6.”
She’ll hold up clothes for Emma’s inspection, she said, and Emma will say, “Yes, no, yes, no.”

Over in the school supply section, Target employees Victor Gonzalez and Colin Jensen were scrambling to keep up with the demand for spiral notebooks (a five-pack of 70-page notebooks for just 50 cents!) and other basics. By mid-afternoon, the store had run out of colored pencils and that elementary school staple, Pink Pearl erasers.
Pee Chees — the original folders, not some generic brand — are always in demand, Jensen said. In fact, many schools specifically require them. “They want the brand, they want consistency, so kids don’t get teased.”

Fashion also matters when it comes to kid-sized knapsacks and bookbags. “It’s hard to predict what the brand of the year will be,” Jensen said. But Target guessed right this year with lots of Hannah Montana, Bratz and Camp Rock! packs, he said.

Brooke Dircksen of east Vancouver was filling her shopping cart with help from Cierra, who will be a senior and a member of the first graduating class at Union High School, and Caitlin, a student at Pioneer Elementary. Three-year-old Hope was along for the ride.
Checking their lists, the girls still needed a protractor, glue sticks — and a ream of computer paper.
Nancy Deboever was shopping alone for school supplies for her twins, both students at Union High. This year, she said, they delegated the task to her.
“I get the bare minimum,” she said, including glue sticks and posterboard. “It’s more fun when they’re in elementary school.”

http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-6987254-9866210?field-keywords=bratz+backpacks&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0

Two of many great emails in the news in support of MGA

2008-08-31T20:17:20Z

I liked the issues they brought up, artists are human after all, not design machines churning out product.

From Jane Wells "Funny Business" blog on CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/26457374
A couple of emails about the Mattel v. MGA trial over the Bratz dolls. As you may have read, the jury came back and awarded Mattel [MAT 19.33 -0.38 (-1.93%) ] $100 million in damages, less than a tenth of what the company thought it was due. Eventually the judge will decide the final award, and, perhaps more importantly, determine what happens to the Bratz dolls now. Can MGA continue to even manufacture them? I'm told it could be months before that is decided.

In the meantime, Nefertiti J. isn't a Mattel fan:

"I was originally reluctant to purchase Bratz because of the name. I got over the name, and now in my 7 year-old's toy chest Bratz out-do Barbie 10 -1. She has 23 Bratz dolls and three Barbies.

"My position is - Mattel didn't treat their employee right. And that should be the ultimate 'principle'. And they should have realized Barbie needed more than an update. Prince Charming is not gonna ride up on his white horse and save my daughter. She doesn't have blond hair or blue eyes and it ain't gonna happen. Also she probably won't have a 36DD bust size. Bratz are more geared to the multi ethnic kids she is surrounded by. And in each of their movies - they (the Bratz girls) end up saving the day...Mattel should have realized they had a great talent in Mr. Bryant and invested in him and other employees when they had the opportunity...I hope MGA goes public so I can buy a lot of their stock. SHAME ON YOU MATTEL. First LEAD now this idiotic suit."

R. isn't a Mattel fan either:

"Ask yourself why did Bryant go to MGA in the first place? If he was being well paid by virtue of his ideas coming to market with a share of the profits, why would he? After all, there was no certainty of success, his Bratz doll was just an idea and a sketch, why risk upsetting the applecart? My guess is Bryant was on a low salary, and Mattel, not wanting to create an alternative market to their cash cow Barbie, chose not to proceed with Bryant's designs...

"Innovation and imagination is what counts, as JK Rowling proves in spades, and she is reaping her just rewards. If management doesn't recognize talent, and pay to hold onto it, they risk the Pied Piper stealing their children."

Jane Wells

Wendie Malick, Burdine of the Bratz, Calls for Help for Studio Arena

2008-08-31T20:04:38Z

Voice of the iconic Bratz Character Burdine, Wendie Malick hopes theStudio Arena Theatre in her childhood home of Buffalo can be saved.

"I hope Buffalo quickly finds a savior for its prestigious Studio Arena Theatre before it is lost for good, and who knows, perhaps that savior will turn out to be billionaire Warren Buffett as has been suggested by so many," Malik said. "He's not a Rockefeller, but he sure could Rock-a-Buffalo by volunteering to lend a hand."

PR Release:
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42433&Itemid=58

Lionsgate Announces Bratz Scholarship Winners

2008-08-31T19:31:23Z

Lionsgate Announces Bratz Scholarship Winners
BILLY GIL
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=13421
In the wake of its newest Bratz movie, Bratz Girlz Really Rock, Lionsgate has announced the winners of the Bratz Girlz Scholarship Contest.

Natasha Barton of Lakewood, Colo.; Bradley Miller of Central Point, Ore.; Bailey Reese of Niceville, Fla.; and Anjali Sood of Jackson, Tenn. will receive a savings bond of $15,000 for their education. More than 800 applicants entered the essay contest, announced last year with the release of Bratz: The Movie on DVD.

“The positive messages of being true to yourself and pursuing your passions are integral to the Bratz philosophy,” said Michael Rathauser, VP of marketing for Lionsgate.

Each winner also will receive the new DVD movie and the new line of Bratz Girlz Really Rock fashion dolls.

Read a nice interview with one of the winners here:
http://bratzworld.livejournal.com/91270.html
Read an in-person (and one email!) interview I did with the cast of the Bratz film and check out behind the scenes pix and vids of their visit for the premier we attended in my hometown NYC!
http://bratz-world.diaryland.com/bratzcast.html

Gustav evacuation, Travel Safely, Stay Safe my friends

2008-08-31T02:33:10Z

Geaux Away Gustav
Originally uploaded by skooksie.
A friend of mine left her home tonight with family and pets to drive out to safety, and friends of hers have stayed behind.

To all on the roads tonight and tomorrow godspeed find safety, to those who choose to remain behind if you rode out Katrina and Rita use every skill you learned for survival and stay safe.

I am thankful also that the tragedy of the Katrina pets, while it brought out the best in many people, showed what a mistake it was to leave them. They are being allowed to be evacuated too.

Click here for this essential site for help and updates at Red Cross

Yenni Building, LA 08.30.2008
Originally uploaded by American Red Cross.

How the pets are being evacuated:
http://happylolday.blogspot.com/2008/08/gustav-pet-evacuation-some-of-process.html

Bratz vs Barbie Mattel vs MGA Litigator of the Week: Skadden's Thomas Nolan

2008-08-29T17:44:24Z

Litigator of the Week: Skadden's Thomas Nolan

Posted by Dimitra Kessenides
From The Am Law Litigation Daily
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2008/08/litigator-of-th.html

It isn't often that we pick a Litigator of the Week whose client was just ordered to pay $100 million in damages. But context is everything, especially in high-stakes commercial IP disputes.
Last month, a federal jury in Riverside California found that Nolan's client, MGA Entertainment, had infringed Mattel's copyright in manufacturing a popular line of big-headed dolls called Bratz. The jury determined that an MGA designer made the first drawings of the dolls that would become Bratz while still an employee at Mattel. The verdict seemed so momentous that the Litigation Daily named Mattel's lead lawyer, John Quinn of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver and Hedges, its Litigator of the Week when it came in. Quinn continued his winning ways when Nolan lost a motion to have the liability verdict thrown out after a juror's racist comments came to light.

In the second phase of the trial, Nolan told us, the question before the jury was complicated: Did MGA infringe Mattel's copyright on only the first version of the Bratz doll, which has long been off the market, or on all the editions of the doll that have followed? Quinn argued the latter, telling jurors that MGA and its chief executive owed Mattel as much as $2 billion.
Nolan, obviously, argued that the infringement was limited to those first, since-abandoned dolls. He told us that his strongest case to the jury was based on the copyright concept of "substantially similar." He explained: "We introduced 77 themes of dolls. If the dolls were similar, you would expect sales to be similar, but they weren't." Nolan asked jurors to award damages of about $30 million. Math isn't our strong suit, but even we can tell that $100 million is a lot closer to $30 million than it is to $2 billion.

What's more, Nolan told us that he expects the final judgment to be much less than $100 million. Jurors awarded damages on three separate claims against MGA, with the total adding up to $100 million. But Nolan says the claims were all based on the same conduct by his client. Under California tort law, he asserts, the court has the discretion to throw out multiple damage awards based on the same conduct, so Nolan intends to file post-trial motions asking Judge Larson to cut the jury's verdict. He estimates that the final number will be between $20 million and $40 million, which comes awfully close to what Mattel spent litigating the case. (The Litigation Daily has previously reported that Mattel spent $44 million in the first half of 2008 on legal fees for the Bratz case and a consumer class action.)
Nolan, a graduate of Loyola Law School and a former Los Angeles AUSA, said his client already regards the jury award as a victory and vindication. John Quinn told the Am Law Daily that he considered the verdict "mildly disappointing."

This is Skadden's second important success in the Bratz litigation. The first came at the beginning of the trial, when Quinn lawyers were aced out in the Great Bratz Hotel Fight. MGA's contract with the Mission Inn, the swankiest hotel in Riverside, California, specified that no Quinn attorneys be permitted to stay at the hotel for the duration of the trial. Quinn attorneys were forced to slum it at the Mariott. "Nice, but not as nice as the Mission Inn," Nolan said, in an appropriately Bratz-y

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Current State

2008-08-29T01:12:37Z

"Mattel, you really need to move on guys, I have to go and get back to my event- we are raising money for animals . I hear Barbie is burning up the gasoline driving and crying in the corvette... my advice: Think of more than grabbing other people's money- how about give it to good causes not lawyer's pockets!"

Even the judge is sick of this money and time waster Mattel started. Was it all really worth it just to be greedy little piggies?

Bratz Judge Asks Attorneys to End Their Costly Litigation

By Jason W. Armstrong
Daily Journal Staff Writer
http://www.dailyjournal.com/law/index.cfm?eid=896241&evid=1&SCID=35939%22
(You won't be able to access it, this was sent to me)

RIVERSIDE - In a bid to end further litigation in the Bratz doll fight, the judge in the case Wednesday barred new motions for two weeks and asked lawyers for both sides to try to settle their differences.
"The first effort, I think, needs to be one of settlement," U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson said in a conference with lawyers for Mattel and rival MGA Entertainment in which he stayed the proceedings until Sept. 15.
Apparently referring to the costs of the litigation on the parties, Larson said it would be "in the economic interests of everyone to get [the case] resolved ... Personal concerns need to be checked."

But lawyers for Mattel and MGA said they doubted they could find common ground and said the litigation is likely to go on for years.
Larson's order came a day after jurors' $100 million award to Mattel on the company's claims that MGA stole its concept for the lucrative Bratz line, which has been credited with slashing profits of Mattel's Barbie.
The panel's judgment was far lower than the $1.8 billion Mattel had sought.
In its verdict, the jury found that MGA and its chief executive officer infringed on Mattel's copyrights for the original Bratz concept drawings but that the infringement wasn't deliberate.
Larson directed lead MGA trial attorney Thomas Nolan and lead Mattel trial attorney John Quinn to meet with a mediator to try to resolve the case, including damages in the current phase and claims in upcoming phase of the trial in which Mattel accuses MGA of stealing trade secrets. MGA, in that phase, contends Mattel's "MyScene" dolls copy Bratz.
That phase of the case is expected to go to trial before Larson and a different jury sometime in late 2009.
Nolan, a partner with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Los Angeles, and Quinn, a name partner with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges in Los Angeles, said they would look again at a possible agreement but that they had reached dead-ends in the past.
Quinn said he was doubtful a settlement would materialize. "We'll do whatever the court wants us to do," he said, "but my firm's belief is that [settlement talks] aren't likely to go anywhere. There's too much at play in the case."
Nolan said he believed the parties could reach a settlement and blamed previous futile attempts on Mattel. Quinn disagreed.
Larson also said he was staying the case so lawyers could agree on a timeline of future proceedings, including motions. Quinn said he plans to move for a new damages trial, saying he believes the jury erroneously failed to award more money. He also said that, because the jury found MGA committed copyright infringement, he would file a motion for a preliminary injunction barring MGA from manufacturing Bratz.

Nolan's planned motions include a request that Larson define the jury's damages award as $20 million overall, rather than $100 million. He contends several sections of the jury's monetary findings duplicated one another. Quinn alleges no duplication occurred.

Nolan also plans to file a motion arguing the court should rule in his favor on various Mattel claims because, he alleges, Mattel improperly waited to raise its claims against MGA until Bratz had become profitable. Quinn contends the claims were raised timely.
In the first phase of the case ending in July, the jury agreed with most of Mattel lawsuit claims, including a finding that MGA and Larian aided and abetted a former Mattel designer, Carter Bryant, in breaching his duties to his employer by working on Bratz concept drawings for MGA. The panel also decided Mattel owned most of Bryant's concept sketches.

In the second phase, Mattel tried to get jurors to hit MGA with a $1.8 billion damages award for allegedly infringing on those sketches. But jurors, in awarding only $100 million, appeared to side more with Nolan's defense that Bratz flourished because of MGA's aggressive marketing strategies and changes to the brand, not because of Bryant's drawings.

MGA's key witnesses included initial sculptors of the Bratz dolls who took jurors step by step through changes to the product design. The company also put on the stand "branding experts" who testified about extensive work companies must do to develop successful products.
Mattel stressed alleged similarities between Bratz and Bryant's sketches and prototypes of the dolls, and focused on other lawsuits MGA filed against toy competitors in Hong Kong accusing them of infringing on Bryant's drawings.
The case is Bryant v. Mattel, CV04-9049 (C.D. Cal., filed 2004).

Bratz Girlz Really Rock DVD on Amazon

2008-08-28T03:28:28Z

Click the pix for all the info! :)

Check out the clips there too!

Mattel wins skimpy damages in Bratz doll case

2008-08-27T22:48:02Z

Mattel will now hire a PR firm to spin this into "Oh yeah we won, umm yeah, we are the victors.. whoo hoo.. right?"
Ahhh NO.
:)

Mattel wins skimpy damages in Bratz doll case
A jury awards the company as much as $100 million in its copyright infringement suit against MGA Entertainment, but that's far less than the $1.8 billion Mattel had sought.

By David Colker, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 27, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bratz27-2008aug27,0,3749208.story

Mattel won the big battles in the Barbie vs. Bratz trial, but it may have lost the financial war.

A jury in federal court Tuesday awarded Mattel Inc. as much as $100 million in a copyright infringement case against MGA Entertainment Inc., which brought out the hugely popular Bratz dolls in 2001.

But that's about 5.5% of the $1.8 billion that Mattel asked of the jury.

"MGA wins on this one, big time," said Margaret Whitfield, an analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach. "That amount maybe just covers Mattel's legal expenses, with a little left over."

Mattel's stock rose 10 cents to $20.24 before the verdict was read but fell as much as 3.8% in after-hours trading.

Last month, the jury in U.S. District Court in Riverside handed El Segundo-based Mattel a sweeping victory when it ruled that one of its Barbie designers created the sassy Bratz while working at Mattel under an exclusivity contract. The jury also found that MGA and its chief executive, Isaac Larian, secretly aided the designer in breaking his exclusivity contract with Mattel.

But when it came to figuring damages, the jury decided that MGA and Larian played a minor role compared with the doll's designer, Carter Bryant, who earned more than $30 million in royalties from the Bratz line.

"My own feeling was that Carter Bryant pulled the wool over everyone's eyes," said jury foreman Christopher Blazer, a retired school custodian who lives in Fontana.

Bryant settled with Mattel just before the trial began in May. Terms of that settlement were sealed by the court and not revealed.

Mattel Chief Executive Robert A. Eckert said in a statement that the company was "pleased that the principles of fair play and fair competition that prompted Mattel to bring the suit in the first place have prevailed."

Mattel's attorney, John Quinn, didn't discuss the damage amounts in a statement but noted: "After carefully weighing nearly three months of testimony and evidence, the jury arrived at a unanimous and undeniable conclusion that MGA engaged in illegal business practices."

Mattel hasn't said how much it spent on the case since it was filed four years ago. During this year's second quarter, the company spent more than $16 million on the case.

Larian was elated with the jury decision, saying that the damages that Mattel sought -- $1 billion from MGA and nearly $800 million from Larian -- weren't based on the case's facts.

"This, of course, shows that they were always overreaching," he said, "and that the jury saw through it."

Larian said the jury's first verdict would be appealed. "I want to clear my name and the company name," he said.

Van Nuys-based MGA already lost in appeals court when it tried to get the trial halted because of an ethnic slur uttered by a juror during deliberations.

The exact amount of the award to Mattel depended on who was doing the arithmetic. MGA called it $40 million; Mattel had it at $100 million.

The disagreement came from the fact that the jury weighed three claims concerning the Bryant contract, awarding $30 million for each, with $20 million to come from MGA and $10 million from Larian.

MGA lawyers said they believed that Judge Stephen Larson would, in further proceedings, rule those awards duplicative, giving Mattel a maximum of $30 million for all three claims. That, plus $10 million in other damages awarded by the jury, would bring the total to $40 million.

Mattel disagreed. Counting the three matters separately, it declared the award to be $100 million. In a statement, Mattel said: "The court will make the final determination."

MGA, whose Bratz dolls proved to be a feisty competitor to the more sedate Barbie, could have been crippled by the hefty damage award Mattel sought. MGA's Bratz sales total about $1 billion, compared with Mattel's $6 billion in revenue last year.

Mattel's signature dolls, Barbie and her pals, have been suffering. In the second quarter, U.S. sales of the line plunged 21% compared with the same period last year.

Just as in Hollywood, this court fight will have a sequel. Mattel and MGA are scheduled to be back in court later this year to argue a suit that encompasses trade secrets and other matters.

But not with this jury. It was set free after being on the doll case since May 27.

Asked what he would do with his time, Blazer laughed and said, "Right now, I'm having a cold one."

Questions follow Mattel's $100M Bratz verdict

2008-08-27T22:03:13Z

This article goes into detail about what Mattel is now planning, it would be shocking if this works after the lame award they got. If the jury thought the entire line of Bratz infringed their rights then they would have gotten their billions. They obviously only thought what Carter had a hand in was an infringment- look at the amount- would that be the amount they awarded -if they thought a MEGA SUCCESSFUL doll line was rightfully Mattel's? Mattel and their lawyers are just so mad right now they are pulling every rabbit out of every hat trying to find something to destroy MGA.
Sad people they are, all you lawyers out there you have folks like this to blame for a lawyer's bad rep.

Questions follow Mattel's $100M Bratz verdict
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/27/ap5365020.html

The $100 million jury award in the three-month legal battle between Mattel Inc. and Bratz-maker MGA Entertainment Inc. left one key issue unresolved.

A judge must now decide whether MGA can continue to market the popular Bratz doll line and if it can, if it will have to pay Mattel (nyse: MAT - news - people ) royalties for some of those dolls.

Mattel attorneys said after Tuesday's verdict that they intend to file an injunction to stop MGA from making more Bratz dolls.

"The jury found that at some point the dolls infringed, but the question is, was it the earlier dolls or the later dolls or all of them?" said Oren Warshavsky, an intellectual property attorney who has followed the case closely. "Without a special verdict form, it's difficult to see how an injunction would be styled."

The federal panel found MGA, Chief Executive Isaac Larian and subsidiary MGA Hong Kong liable for copyright infringement and awarded a total of $10 million in damages in that category. They also awarded about $90 million for three causes of action related to breach of contract.

However, the panel was not asked to specify which Bratz dolls they found were in violation of Mattel's copyright. U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Larson must now try to discern the jury's intent on that question.

At the heart of the issue are the initial sketches done by designer Carter Bryant while conceiving the Bratz concept. In an earlier phase of the trial, the same jury found that Bryant worked at Mattel under an exclusivity deal when the drawings were made and all but four belonged to Mattel.

Larian, however, said the jury's relatively small award for copyright infringement - roughly 10 percent of the total - showed the panel felt only the earliest dolls were based on Bryant's initial sketches and that later dolls belonged to MGA.

His attorneys will argue against the injunction for all but the first dolls, Larian said.

"The main Bratz brand will always remain with MGA and we are going full blast forward and nothing will stop us," Larian said.

Mattel attorneys did not immediately return an e-mail requesting comment Wednesday.

But they will likely argue in their request for an injunction that it's impossible to tell where the jury saw copyright infringement, and that all Bratz products should be blocked - something that could devastate MGA, said Jack Lerner, an intellectual property professor at the University of Southern California.

"The jury made a determination about damages, but it didn't make a determination about the connection between the drawings and the damages," he said. "The stakes still remain very, very high for MGA. They're not out of the woods yet at all."

Larson could also allow MGA to continue marketing at least some of the dolls but require the company to pay royalties to Mattel. That's something that both companies are likely to resist, said Aaron Moss, an attorney who's represented Mattel in several other copyright infringement cases.

"The real prize is going to be, can Mattel convince the judge to grant an injunction that would prevent MGA from ever producing another Bratz product?" he said.

During the trial, Mattel attorneys said MGA made nearly $779 million on the Bratz line since it was introduced in 2001. The company has since expanded Bratz with lucrative additions such as Bratz Boyz, Bratz Petz and Bratz Babyz and introduced new, edgy dolls each year.

The highly stylized fashion dolls have oversized feet, heads and hands, curling lashes and huge, almond-shaped eyes daubed with exotic-colored eyeshadow.

Meanwhile, sales of Barbie - a near right-of-passage in American girlhood - have slid since Bratz's Yasmin, Cloe, Jade and Sasha came on the scene.

Analysts said Tuesday's jury award was neutral or slightly disappointing for Mattel, which had asked for nearly $2 billion in damages based on MGA and Larian's profits from the Bratz sales.

Shares of Mattel fell 59 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $19.65 in trading Wednesday. The stock has traded between $16.42 and $24.50 during the past 52 weeks.

Bratz vs Barbie UPDATE Mattel is Awarded $20 Million

2008-08-27T04:05:42Z

Yep it went WAY down... :)

For Immediate Release
http://www.mgae.com/press_releases/trial_news.asp

MGA Corrects Media Reports: Mattel is Awarded $20 Million in
Damages, Not $100 Million as Reported

Los Angeles, CA –August 26, 2008 – In light of the verdict in MGA Entertainment’s
trial against Mattel, MGA today said that certain media reports regarding the damages
awarded in the trial are inaccurate.

The jury awarded $20 million to Mattel in damages. Some media reports have
incorrectly reported that Mattel was awarded $100 million.

MGA said that the jury made its award pursuant to a variety of legal claims, each based
on the same damages theory, and subject to the Court's instruction not to be concerned
about duplicative damages. MGA pointed out that during the trial Mattel even conceded
that the damages it sought were overlapping and duplicative.

MGA further stated that it intends to appeal any amount of awarded damages at the end
of the case.

“We are pleased to have this trial behind us,” said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA
Entertainment. “We can now concentrate all of our energies on what we do best -
providing dolls and other toys that are the consumers’ first choice.”

Whoo hoo!

Bratz vs Barbie Mattel vs MGA I knew it would work out :)

2008-08-27T00:29:46Z

UPDATE if you are coming in on this post directly from the web the amount has been updated to 20 Million :)
http://bratzworld.livejournal.com/93434.html

The amount might still go down. So keep an eye out for updates in the case. Mattel may have "won" but its a bad win, this won't even cover their costs. MGA says they will appeal this too, I think if Mattel settled with Carter- that should be that. This was his mistake in doing work on M's time, not MGA's. If a jury gets in there that does not have a member with them the whole time who believes Iranian people are "thieves" then that issue may never have come up. Mr Larian did not go to Mattel and whisper to Carter to design Bratz on the sly.

# Until Mattel filed its lawsuit against Carter Bryant in April 2004, Isaac Larian and MGA believed that Carter Bryant had left Mattel on October 4, 2000, as instructed by Mr. Larian. Mr. Larian and MGA were not aware that Mr. Bryant was working at Mattel and for MGA from October 4 to October 19, 2000, and getting paid from both companies for those two weeks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHyiExtzSll8&refer=home

Mattel Wins $100 Million in Damages Over Bratz Dolls (Update3)
By Edvard Pettersson and Tori Richards

Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Mattel Inc., the world's biggest toymaker, was awarded $100 million in copyright-infringement and contract damages for its claims that MGA Entertainment Inc.'s Bratz dolls are based on the work of a former Mattel designer.

A federal jury in Riverside, California, found today that some of the pouty and multiethnic Bratz dolls closely held MGA started selling in 2001 are substantially similar to the drawings of the former Barbie-doll designer. The jury found last month, in the trial's first phase, that designer Carter Bryant made the sketches while he was at Mattel in 1999 and 2000.

Mattel, which sought as much as $1 billion in Bratz profits from MGA, won $90 million for its claims that MGA and its majority owner and chief executive officer, Isaac Larian, intentionally interfered with Bryant's Mattel contract and helped him breach his fiduciary duty and his duty of loyalty to Mattel. The company also won $10 million on its copyright- infringement claims.

``It has been a hard-fought case,'' MGA laywer Thomas Nolan said after the verdict was read. The jurors sent ``a clear message that they want companies to compete in the marketplace and not in the courtroom,'' he said.

Mattel shares rose 1.2 percent when the court said the jury had reached a verdict, closing at $20.24 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Once the verdict was read, Mattel fell as much as 3.8 percent after the end of regular trading.

`A Plus'

``My suspicion would be that the stock would trade down initially on this just because there might have been some hope that it would be much bigger,'' said Sean McGowan, an analyst with Needham & Co. ``But when they start to report results later in the year and you don't have a drag on earnings, I think it will be a plus for the stock.''

The jury found on July 17 that Bryant, who left Mattel in 2000, conceived the Bratz characters and name while he was employed by the El Segundo, California-based toymaker. Mattel's Barbie sales have slumped in part because of competition from the edgy Bratz dolls. Bryant settled with Mattel in May, a week before the trial started. Terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.

The jury today sought to award Mattel about one-quarter of the $405 million MGA had said was its profit from the Bratz dolls, jury foreman Christopher Blazer said in an interview after the verdict had been read.

`Rosy Path'

``The consensus of the jury was that a lot of the blame goes to Carter Bryant,'' Blazer said. ``He was out for his own interest. Through his actions he led everyone down the rosy path.''

Another juror said the panel didn't want to punish MGA for developing the second generation of Bratz dolls.

``MGA had really done good work getting the Bratz line going and we didn't want to take that away,'' juror Judie Appleton said after the verdict was read. ``There's big time argument between the first and second generation of Bratz dolls.''

``Mattel has pursued this case first and foremost as a matter of principle,'' Robert A. Eckert, Mattel's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. ``We have an obligation to defend ourselves against competitors who choose to engage in fraudulent activities against us.''

No Punitive Damages

While the jury awarded Mattel $31,500 for MGA's illegal conversion of its property and found MGA concealed the fraud, jurors rejected Mattel's claim of willful infringement and its request for punitive damages. U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson said he would reduce today's award if he determines that the jury found duplicate damages on some issues. If the verdict stands, it would be the 16th-largest jury award this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

``I feel happy,'' Larian said in an interview after the verdict was read. ``We're are going to go home, pray, and have a bottle of champagne. It was painful for myself and my family when in closing arguments they were calling me names like a liar and a thief.''

MGA lawyer Craig Holden said the Van Nuys, California-based company would appeal the verdict and would also ask the judge to reduce the award.

Mattel had argued that MGA's profit from Bratz, through June of this year, was $777.9 million on revenue of $3.1 billion. Larian's financial benefit from Bratz, based on distributions to him and the value of his MGA stake, was $696 million, an expert witness for Mattel testified. MGA contested these figures.

MGA Disputed Claims

MGA also disputed Mattel's infringement claims, saying that Mattel failed to show any close similarity between Bryant's drawings and later-generation Bratz dolls and other product lines such as Kidz and Petz and branded merchandise.

McGowan said the verdict won't affect Barbie sales.

``Barbie sales have to revive on their own, and that really would have been true no matter what,'' he said. ``I guess if Mattel were awarded ownership of the brand outright for the rest of time, they might have been able to determine the direction of Bratz vis a vis Barbie. But the fact is unless kids want to buy Barbie, what happens to Bratz isn't going to change that.''

The case is Bryant v. Mattel, 04-9049, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Riverside).

Statement from Mr Larian

2008-08-26T15:35:23Z

Statement from Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MGA Entertainment, Inc., in response to media and other inquiries, released the following statement today clarifying certain issues in its trial with Mattel over the Bratz dolls:

Isaac Larian did not know who Carter Bryant was until September 1, 2000.

Isaac Larian told Carter Bryant to leave Mattel on October 4, 2000 (the date he signed the contract with MGA) and start working full time at MGA.

Until Mattel filed its lawsuit against Carter Bryant in April 2004, Isaac Larian and MGA believed that Carter Bryant had left Mattel on October 4, 2000, as instructed by Mr. Larian. Mr. Larian and MGA were not aware that Mr. Bryant was working at Mattel and for MGA from October 4 to October 19, 2000, and getting paid from both companies for those two weeks.

The salary Mr. Bryant received from Mattel during those two weeks was about $2000; the salary Mr. Bryant received from MGA for those two weeks was about $2,250. Despite this fact, Mattel is asking the jury to award them damages (from Isaac Larian) over $700 million for these two weeks (October 4-19, 2000)!

Mattel, on the eve of trial, fully settled with Carter Bryant for what they termed all of his “sins.”

Its a Bratz World

Happily Ever Over, full length video :)

Statement from MGA Entertainment Re: Ruling on Mattel's Motion for Injunction

OT When in San Diego, EAT HERE! :)

OT Fire Maiden

News, MGA appeals ban over the making and selling of Bratz dolls

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Current State

So let's hope we get a good observant wide awake judge on the appeal.This whole mess could be totally thrown OUT :)

MGA's Statement on the ruling

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Ruling is wrong

Happily Ever Over, an illustrated holiday epic :)

"Wear" schoolgirls get chance to design for Bratz pack

OT, Malan Breton's Fashion Week Show 9/11/08

Bratz fan wins photography contest in the UK

Bratz Gear selling well for Back to School!

Fashion also matters when it comes to kid-sized knapsacks and bookbags. “It’s hard to predict what the brand of the year will be,” Jensen said. But Target guessed right this year with lots of Hannah Montana, Bratz and Camp Rock! packs, he said.

Two of many great emails in the news in support of MGA

Wendie Malick, Burdine of the Bratz, Calls for Help for Studio Arena

Lionsgate Announces Bratz Scholarship Winners

Gustav evacuation, Travel Safely, Stay Safe my friends

Bratz vs Barbie Mattel vs MGA Litigator of the Week: Skadden's Thomas Nolan

Bratz vs Barbie MGA vs. Mattel Current State

Nolan's planned motions include a request that Larson define the jury's damages award as $20 million overall, rather than $100 million. He contends several sections of the jury's monetary findings duplicated one another. Quinn alleges no duplication occurred.

Bratz Girlz Really Rock DVD on Amazon

Mattel wins skimpy damages in Bratz doll case

"MGA wins on this one, big time," said Margaret Whitfield, an analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach. "That amount maybe just covers Mattel's legal expenses, with a little left over."

Larian said the jury's first verdict would be appealed. "I want to clear my name and the company name," he said.

Questions follow Mattel's $100M Bratz verdict

Bratz vs Barbie UPDATE Mattel is Awarded $20 Million

Bratz vs Barbie Mattel vs MGA I knew it would work out :)

``The consensus of the jury was that a lot of the blame goes to Carter Bryant,'' Blazer said. ``He was out for his own interest. Through his actions he led everyone down the rosy path.''

``I feel happy,'' Larian said in an interview after the verdict was read. ``We're are going to go home, pray, and have a bottle of champagne. It was painful for myself and my family when in closing arguments they were calling me names like a liar and a thief.''

Statement from Mr Larian

So let's hope we get a good observant wide awake judge on the appeal.
This whole mess could be totally thrown OUT :)