3 Count: Bratz Zumba

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1: Breaking News: Mattel Loses As Jury Rules in Favor of MGA in Bratz Case (via Twitter)

First off today, early reports state that Mattel suffered a severe legal defeat in its case against MGA over the popular Bratz dolls. A jury today ruled, after two weeks of deliberation, that Mattel does not own the line and MGA is free to continue producing the dolls. The verdict comes after a lengthy trial with months of testimony and a seesaw legal battle that has already involved one appeal and one jury favoring Mattel’s arguments. According to Mattel, the inventor of the Bratz line was working for Mattel when he came up with the line, thus making it their property. However, MGA has denied this, saying he came up with the idea before working for Mattel, and it seems that the jury agreed. This is a breaking story and I will have more information tomorrow and as it becomes available via Twitter.

2: China Says Makes Progress on use of Copyrighted Software

Next up today, China is touting progress in getting its government offices to stop using pirated software, saying that 2/5 of its offices are now using legal software and another 2/5 are in the buying process. According to government officials, they expect all central offices to be in compliance by the end of May and all local or regional offices to be in compliance by the end of October. This comes amid many complaints from other nations, including the U.S., that China is not doing enough to thwart piracy and enforce copyright.

3: Zumba Fitness Files Copyright Lawsuits

Finally today, the company behind Zumba fitness has filed six lawsuits in California and is preparing more both in the U.S. and the UK, targeting sites and individuals who illegally distribute their content. The claims include trademark violations, unjust enrichment and copyright infringement, particularly for the production and sale of counterfeit DVDs. The dance-based fitness system has become wildly popular over the past few years, with an estimate 12 million people taking Zumba classes every week.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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