Mattel loses seven-year court battle over Bratz doll

MATTEL Inc, after waging a seven-year legal war against a tiny California company, swallowed a surprise defeat after a US jury decided that MGA Entertainment Inc is the rightful owner of the once-billion dollar line of pouty-lipped Bratz dolls.

The astonishing loss for the world’s largest toy maker concluded a case that began in 2004, when MGA’s line of dolls was all the rage among teen and preteen girls. Mattel accused California-based MGA of stealing its designs by hiring a key employee.

Mattel chief executive Robert Eckert sat stone-faced, staring straight ahead as the verdict was read out yesterday in a Santa Ana, California, federal courtroom. He said afterward that he was disappointed by the verdict.