T.I. and Tiny Harris Win $71 Million Lawsuit Against Toymaker MGA Entertainment
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Atlanta rapper T. I. (Clifford Harris) and his wife, Tameka "Tiny" Harris, have secured a major legal victory in a case concerning the likenesses of the girl group OMG Girlz. After four years of litigation and three separate trials, the couple was awarded $71 million in damages. The case involved the popular L.
O. L. Surprise O. M. G.
Dolls, which a jury found had copied the likeness and trade dress of the OMG Girlz, a group founded by Tiny Harris in 2009. The lawsuit initially faced a mistrial and later a victory for toymaker MGA in a second trial. However, the case was retried after the Supreme Court allowed a focus on customer confusion. In the latest trial, the jury unanimously ruled in favor of T. I.
and Tiny, determining that seven of the dolls closely resembled the Atlanta-based group. Some of the other dolls in the line were also found to have copied likenesses of artists such as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.