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Washington Bureau Chief
Rapper TI and his spouse, singer-songwriter Tameka “Tiny” Harris, have been awarded $71m (£51m) by a jury of their lawsuit towards a toy firm they accused of violating their mental property rights.
On Monday (23 September), Tiny, 49, shared an Instagram Dwell by which she expressed her pleasure over an finish to the years-long courtroom battle towards MGA Leisure.
“We did this for town. We did this for the tradition,” Tiny stated in a clip filmed outdoors a Santa Ana, California, federal courthouse.
She continued: “It was a struggle. It was a hell of a struggle. We couldn’t be extra completely happy.”
Within the criticism, which marked their third try to sue, the Grammy-winning duo alleged that seven of MGA Leisure’s toys of their common line, the LOL Shock! OMG dolls, copied the looks of their teen pop group, the OMG Girlz, throughout particular public occasions.
The preliminary trial passed off in January final yr however led to a mistrial after jurors heard barred testimony that accused MGA of cultural appropriation.
The second, which passed off in Might 2023, resulted in an MGA Leisure victory; a Supreme Courtroom ruling in June that yr allowed for a retrial.
TI and Tiny fashioned the OMG Girlz in 2009, with Tiny’s daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins as a core member. Whereas the trio initially disbanded, members Pullins, Bahja “Magnificence” Rodriguez and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack reunited final yr and are at the moment on tour in assist of latest music.
All three bandmates testified throughout the three-week trial.
Deadline studies that the unanimous ruling discovered that of the seven dolls introduced from a complete of 32, all of them copied the Atlanta-based band’s likeness.
Through the trial, TI’s lawyer argued that the jury ought to penalise MGA a further $35m to $72m.
Jurors bequeathed the couple $17.8m (£13.3m) in actual damages and $53.6m (£40.1m) in punitive damages on the finish of the trial.
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Talking to Rolling Stone,TI hit again at MGA’s attorneys for calling the lawsuit a “cash seize”.
“[They were] making an attempt to color me because the dangerous man when actually, they have been the [bad] ones,” he stated. “They have been those that got here and ripped us off, and [they] anticipated us to not have the audacity to face up and communicate for ourselves.
“That type of condescension comes from while you’re not likely in contact with the truth of tradition after you’ve gone so lengthy type of having it your means and no person actually standing up and talking towards you.”
MGA founder Isaac Larian, who denied the allegations of copyright infringement, insisted that the OMG Girlz didn’t affect the corporate’s line of dolls, and referred to TI and Tiny as “extortionists” throughout the trial, People studies.
The Unbiased has contacted MGA Leisure for remark.
