ti And Tameka “Tiny” Harris have lost a lawsuit against a toy company over the resemblance of the company’s LOL Surprise Dolls to the couple’s musical group OMG Girlz.
On Friday (May 26), after a ten-day trial and just a few hours of deliberation, a jury finally ruled in favor of MGA Entertainment. Law 360 reports that the couple had sought $100 million in damages.
The jury concluded that MGA Entertainment’s OMG Dollz did not infringe the trademark or misappropriate the couple’s name or likeness OMG Girlz rap group that featured TI and Tiny’s daughter Zonic Pullinsand co-owned the Atlanta rapper.
Lil Wayne’s daughter Reginae Carter and sisters Bahja and Lourdes Rodriguez were also members of the group.
Friday’s ruling marks the end of a bitter legal battle involving allegations of extortion and racism.
RELATED: Judge voids court cases in TI & Tiny’s lawsuit against toymaker MGA Entertainment over popular LOL surprise dolls
While Tip said he respected the jury’s verdict, his wife described the result as “terrible”.
“It’s awful, but whatever,” Tiny told Law360 after the verdict. “[I would]hear what the jury had to say,” Tip added.
MGA Entertainment CEO says he feels “great” after confirming the verdict
Meanwhile, Isaac Larian, MGA’s chief executive officer, said he felt “great,” adding that the ruling validated his claims that the lawsuit was “a shakedown.”
“I’m glad they came to that verdict so quickly,” Larian told the outlet.
Tiny formed teenage pop girl group OMZ Girlz in 2009. In January, she sued MGA for allegedly stealing the group’s likeness for their LOL Surprise OMG Girls dolls.
The couple claimed that in 2010, MGA announced its plan to launch a line of dolls modeled on the OMG Girlz. However, according to the lawsuit, the company failed to secure the necessary licensing deals and refused to negotiate compensation.
In 2019, the dolls finally hit shelves.
Oops! Zonnique slams the OMG Dolls brand for similarities in their products that look like their group, the OMG Girlz! Roommates, what do you think?! 📷:(@gettyimages) pic.twitter.com/sh296gg13t
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) April 18, 2022
The verdict comes months after the mistrial in which the judge ruled against the cultural appropriation argument
Judge James V. Selna, who presided over TI and Tiny’s lawsuit, declared the case a mistrial in January.
Selna said her “cultural appropriation” argument was “irrelevant and outrageous” to the actual legal issues of the case and should not be brought before the jury.
The mistrial was decided after MGA Entertainment argued that the allegations of cultural appropriation had ruined their chance of a fair trial.
TI and Tiny tried to convince the jury that the dolls were an example of “cultural appropriation and outright intellectual property theft.” They also accused the toy company of stealing the looks of “young multicultural women”.
At the time, the toy maker said it was disappointed with the outcome of the court case. It added that diversity has “always been a core value” at MGA.
“Diversity has always been a core value,” MGA said after the mistrial in January. “We are disappointed that the process was abandoned but look forward to enforcing our rights in the next process.”
I mentioned this in my newsletter and I’m surprised it hasn’t garnered more attention, but a trial begins this week in LA over whether a doll line detracts from the look of a real girl group. LOL Surprise OMG! pic.twitter.com/ZVWSGQ3Kkn
— Eriq Gardner ✍️ (@eriqgardner) January 17, 2023
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