Bodog Beat

Mattel has just won ownership of original drawings from the Bratz empire. (callme_crochet at Flickr Image)

Mattel, the makers of Barbie, have just won a landmark court battle. The Bratz, the rival of Mattel's Barbie doll were created by Carter Bryant, who was apparently working for Mattel when he came up with the concept for The Bratz.

Bryant maintains that the drawings for the dolls were made while he was on an eight-month hiatus from Mattel in 1998. However, the jury decided that The Bratz company, MGA, has now lost the rights to all drawings and "sculpts" of the Bratz and that they are now owned by Mattel.

Mattel's attorney John Quinn said on a conference call with reporters that the damages for copyright infringement would be based on MGA's profits from Bratz and any related products, which some estimates pegged at $500 million a year.

"We assume the evidence is going to be that the damages here are very, very substantial," Quinn said. "It's no secret that Bratz has been a very successful product."

Bryant said inspiration for The Bratz dolls came when he saw the clothes worn by students as he drove past Springfield's Kickapoo High School.

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