Rapper T.I. and his wife, singer-songwriter Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris, and the OMG Girlz, have won a staggering $71 million in their lawsuit against MGA Entertainment, the toy giant accused of infringing on the intellectual property of their teen pop group. The dispute centered around MGA’s popular L.O.L. Surprise! The couple claimed the O.M.G. doll line copied the girl group’s likeness and style.
According to the Daily Journal, which first reported the verdict, the jury awarded the couple $17.8 million in actual damages, along with an additional $53.6 million in punitive damages following a three-week trial in a federal court in Santa Ana, California.
This marks the third attempt by the Grammy-winning duo to sue MGA. Their first trial, in January of last year, ended in a mistrial after jurors heard barred testimony accusing MGA of cultural appropriation. A second trial later that year ruled in favor of MGA. However, the case was reopened after a June 2023 Supreme Court decision ruled that consumer confusion over a product should play a more significant role in infringement cases. In this retrial, the jury found that seven of the 32 dolls presented had indeed copied the OMG Girlz’s distinctive style and trade dress, though not all the dolls were deemed to have infringed. Some, interestingly, were found to have drawn inspiration from other iconic artists like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
During the proceedings, T.I.’s attorney, John Keville, urged the jury to penalize MGA with an additional $35 to $72 million, sending a strong message to the company about intellectual property rights. He also presented social media evidence showing consumers who believed the dolls were modeled after the OMG Girlz. After the verdict, Keville thanked the jurors for “standing up to MGA’s bullying and misrepresentations.”
The OMG Girlz, formed by T.I. and Tiny in 2009, featured Tiny’s daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins as a core member, alongside Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack. Though the group has since disbanded, they reunited last year and are currently on tour with a new single that dropped in early August. The trio attended the trial and testified, with T.I. and Tiny asserting that the dolls directly mimicked the group’s appearance at various public events.
This legal battle, which has spanned years, brings an important resolution for the couple and underscores the broader conversation around protecting the creative expression and intellectual property of Black artists.
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