Rapper T.I. and his wife, R&B singer Tameka “Tiny” Harris, won $71 million in a lawsuit they brought against the toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment.
The couple claimed that MGA violated their intellectual property rights for the musical group OMG Girlz with the creation of the massively popular L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls.
The singing group OMG Girlz included Bahja Rodriguez, Breaunna Womack, and Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins. They disbanded in 2015.
The total amount of money awarded includes $17.8 million in real damages, or profits the company made on the toys, and $53.6 million in punitive damages, per Forbes.
Jurors found that more than a dozen L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls “infringed on the trade dress and misappropriated the name, image, and likeness of the all-female band that T.I. and Tiny formed in 2009,” per a report from People.
MGA argued that it didn’t copy off the “short-lived” band or cost them business opportunities.
This lawsuit represents the third time T.I. and Tiny sued over the appearance of the dolls, accusing the company of “cultural appropriation and outright theft.” The first court case ended in a mistrial, and the second jury ruled in favor of MGA before the verdict was overturned on appeal. It’s still possible for the toy manufacturer to appeal the current ruling.
Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!
Tiny had been vocal over the years with her belief that the dolls looked very similar to the OMG Girlz, even down to the exact outfits they were wearing. She posted again on the topic last week, writing on Instagram, “Do these dolls look familiar?”
The caption said.“1 of many but biggest custom outfit in questioned! @omggirlz vs #OMGDolls last wk of court! God willing the truth will prevail!!!”
Harris celebrated her big win in court on Instagram Live outside the courthouse on Monday. “We did this for the city. We did this for the culture,” she said. “It was a fight. It was a hell of a fight. We couldn’t be more happy.”
“We wanted to thank the jurors for just seeing us through this, and just believing in what we said. They heard our story and they knew we wasn’t lying. It’s amazing,” Harris continued.
MGA, which stands for Micro-Games America Entertainment, is a manufacturer of children’s toys and entertainment products, which was founded in 1979. Popular products include Bratz, Num Noms, Lalaloopsy, and Rainbow High dolls, in addition to their popular L.O.L. Surprise! dolls. MGA also owns Little Tikes.
MGA was founded by current CEO Isaac Larian. The company is worth of $12.13 billion, making it the world’s largest privately owned toy company.
