Mattel seeks $2b from MGA in Bratz dolls case

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The maker of pouty-lipped Bratz dolls owes toy giant Mattel Inc. nearly $2 billion for stealing its conceptual drawings for the urban-themed toys, a Mattel attorney said yesterday during closing arguments in the damages phase of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

The jury ruled last month in the first phase of the federal trial that the designer of MGA Entertainment Inc.'s Bratz dolls, Carter Bryant, came up with the concept while working for Mattel.

The jury also found that MGA aided in the breach of contract, and its chief executive, Isaac Larian, played a role in the deal.

Mattel attorney John Quinn said MGA owed Mattel at least $1 billion in Bratz profits and interest, while Larian owed nearly $800 million for his complicity.

"I'm well aware that the numbers we're talking about here are very substantial," Quinn told jurors.

Quinn said MGA had never had a hit toy and had lost more than $6 million in 2000, the year before the Bratz dolls came on the market with their "anime-style" eyes and revealing outfits.

MGA has since made profit of nearly $778 million on Bratz, which exploded in popularity among "tweens" - girls 7 to 12, he said.

MGA attorney Thomas Nolan told jurors in his closing arguments to make the distinction between the concept drawings and the final toys on store shelves. MGA made crucial decisions about the Bratz look that weren't included in Bryant's specs, he said.