T.I. and Tiny Harris Secure $71M Victory in MGA Entertainment Intellectual Property Lawsuit

T.I. and Tiny Harris Secure $71M Victory in MGA Entertainment Intellectual Property Lawsuit

By Marcus Hartley

December 15, 2024 at 08:34 PM

T.I. and his wife 'Tiny' Harris, along with the OMG Girlz, have won a significant $71 million judgment against toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment in a federal court ruling in Santa Ana, California. The case centered on alleged intellectual property rights violations involving MGA's L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of dolls.

Group celebrating a legal victory

Group celebrating a legal victory

The judgment breakdown includes:

  • $17.8 million in real damages
  • $53.6 million in punitive damages

The unanimous verdict found that all seven dolls presented in court copied the Atlanta-based OMG Girlz's likeness and trade dress. The jury also discovered that some of the 32 dolls in the product line copied other artists' likenesses, including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.

This successful outcome came after two previous attempts:

  • First trial: Ended in mistrial due to barred testimony about cultural appropriation
  • Second trial: Initially won by MGA Entertainment
  • Third trial: Succeeded following a Supreme Court ruling that emphasized consumer confusion in infringement cases

The OMG Girlz, formed in 2009 by T.I. and Tiny, includes members:

  • Zonnique "Star" Pullins (Tiny's daughter)
  • Bahja "Beauty" Rodriguez
  • Breaunna "Babydoll" Womack

The group's attorney, John R. Keville, argued for additional penalties between $35-72 million to deter future infringement, while MGA's counsel suggested a more modest penalty range of $500,000 to $1 million, noting that the $17 million verdict already covered all profits from the dolls.

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OpenAI logo against black backdrop

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