Longtime battles through the courts have ended in a $71 million judgment against MGA Entertainment, the popular “L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G.” dolls manufacturer, for copying the image, style, and likeness of rapper T.I. and his former pop group OMG Girlz, which Tiny was a member of, for several of their dolls.
The jury verdict, which included $17,900,000 in compensatory damages and $53,650,000 in punitive damages, was a huge win for the married couple and their legal team in California federal court. It was termed a big win, not only for T.I. and Tiny, but for smaller artists and creators out there who continue to struggle in their quest to protect their intellectual property against huge corporations.
This lawsuit has been ongoing since 2023, and it’s been a rollercoaster. The case took several turns of events that involved multiple mistrials-the first trial derailed after arguments about cultural appropriation surfaced, and the case was tossed out. However, a key turning point came when a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling emphasized the necessary presence of consumer confusion in copyright infringement cases. This shift in legal precedent enabled T.I. and Tiny’s team to push for a retrial.
The couple’s lawyers brought forth a host of evidence, including side-by-side comparisons of the dolls and their counterparts, OMG Girlz’s distinguishing outfits, hairstyles, and aesthetic. The jury found that 15 of the dolls misappropriated the group’s style, with some even violating OMG Girlz’s trade dress-the unique visual appearance that distinguished the group in the pop world.
T.I. and Tiny were extremely excited about the outcome. T.I. was also impassioned because he said that this was not about the money.
“They were the ones that ripped us off, and they expected us to stay quiet,”
he said.
“This is about standing up for yourself, protecting what’s yours.”
Tiny took to her husband’s sentiments as she thanked the jurors and her legal team, adding that she was relieved and pleased since
“They blessed us more than we could have imagined.”
Months later, she went online to post that it was a “victory for culture.”
On the other hand, however, MGA Entertainment has continued to argue that any resemblance between the dolls and the OMG Girlz was coincidental. At trial, the founder of MGA, Isaac Larian testified that the dolls were not inspired by the group, going as far as to characterize the lawsuit thus: an attempt in the direction of “extortion.” Not surprisingly, lawyers hired by the company described the lawsuit as nothing more than a “money grab,” a claim vigorously denied by T.I. and Tiny.
This might have far-reaching implications within the entertainment industry, particularly as independent creators work to defend their work against unauthorized use by major corporations. This may be one of those landmark verdicts where many other aspiring artists will emerge and fight against copyright infringement, standing up for their work’s integrity against powerful companies.
The case is a reminder to many smaller artists to work toward protection for creative expression, specifically in an age where large companies often don’t hesitate to jump on a trend born from grassroots movements and individual talent. As T.I. himself said,
“This was about protecting something we created and making sure that some other artists after us won’t have to go through that battle ourselves.”
This landmark ruling, of $71 million, may open the siren call for similar lawsuits that could reshape completely the legal landscape regarding intellectual property rights in the creative and entertainment sectors.
