T.I. and his wife, Tiny, returned to federal court on May 10 for a second trial. This time, they are continuing their battle against toymaker MGA, accusing them of producing L.O.L. Surprise dolls that resemble members of the popular group OMG Girlz.
Updated By: Chris Samuel (5/11/23 at 3:14 pm)
T.I. and his wife, Tiny, hold a significant stake in the creation of OMG Girlz, a group involving their daughter, Zonnique, and two other talented singers. The dispute arises from T.I.’s claim that MGA illicitly copied the design of the dolls from his daughter’s group.
Moreover, T.I. has accused MGA of cultural appropriation, citing the dolls’ resemblance to the distinctive style of the OMG Girlz, characterized by vibrant wigs and eye-catching outfits.
T.I.’s Allegations Of Copyright Infringement & Cultural Appropriation
T.I. firmly contends that MGA has brazenly stolen the design elements from the OMG Girlz and reproduced them in their L.O.L. dolls. The striking similarities between the dolls and the group’s members are the crux of this copyright battle.
Additionally, T.I. argues that MGA’s replication of the OMG Girlz’s style represents an act of cultural appropriation, appropriating and commodifying an artistic expression without due credit or respect.
T.I. & Tiny’s “L.O.L. Surprise” Dolls Lawsuit Results In A Mistrial
T.I. and Tiny’s lawsuit against MGA on the L.O.L. Surprise dolls’ similarity to OMG Girlz ended in a mistrial. The outcome came after a customer said she couldn’t “support a company that steals ideas from Black people.”
Updated By: Kendall Parks (1/26/23 at 3:28 pm)
The Family Hustle couple caught a bad break when the case resulted in a mistrial where they accused the toy company, MGA Entertainment, of profiting off the OMG Girlz’ image. The ruling came down after a customer said she didn’t support MGA anymore because they steal ideas from Black people. MGA’s lawyer Alan Hilowitz also spoke out and expressed how diversity has always been a part of their company:
“Diversity has always been a key value at MGA Entertainment in both our people and our toys. In fact, MGA brought diversity to the fashion doll category more than 21 years ago with the introduction of Bratz dolls. We are disappointed that the trial was cut short but look forward to vindicating our rights in the next trial.”
So far, the legal team for T.I. and Tiny hasn’t responded to the ruling. The mistrial comes two days before the “Be Easy” rapper got to speak in the courtroom after Tiny and her daughter Zonnique Pullins.
T.I. & Tiny Sue MGA Toy Company; Claims Popular “L.O.L. Surprise” Dolls Stole OMG Girlz Group Image
T.I. and his wife Tiny faced off in court against toy company MGA from Santa Ana, Calif., alleging they infringed on copyrights and drew inspiration from the OMG Girlz for the popular L.O.L. Surprise dolls.
The Details Of The Lawsuit
In one of the latest trends of lawsuits in the entertainment industry, the married hip-hop couple is suing toy company MGA for mimicking the style of OMG Girlz with their L.O.L Surprise and OMG dolls as they have the same image, trade dress, and name, which drew obvious similarities to them.
The group was organized by Tiny with her daughter Zonnique Pullins, Bahja Rodriguez, and Lil Wayne’s daughter Reginae Carter, who was part of the group before she left and signed to her father’s label Young Money.
MGA’s Legal Team Response
In response to the Harris family’s claims, MGA’s lawyer Jennifer Keller said, “They want tens of millions of dollars from MGA Entertainment for doing absolutely nothing, and I do mean nothing,” she said. “We’re going to show you that the OMG Girlz actually copied us and now complain we look like them. They were trend followers, not trendsetters.”
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