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Barbie v. Bratz: a fizzled ending

By Mark Obbie

The Journal's Nicholas Casey and his editors have given enormous amounts of smart coverage to the dispute between Mattel and MGA Entertainment over the rights to the Bratz line of dolls. From a front-page preview of the trial through weeks of testimony and post-verdict wrangling, the paper was all over the story. So it's disappointing to see the play they give it today (subscription required) -- fewer than 500 words on page B4 -- when the jury ended the damages phase with a dollar figure that turns Mattel's win into a somewhat hollow victory. The story covers the basics, but just barely. It reads like a verdict story by a reporter who couldn't sit through the testimony on damages, and merely summarizes the financial arguments in a few words while focusing on reaction and background.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on August 27, 2008 (boomark / email).