(Newser)
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Barbie doll creator Mattel has won a bitter courtroom battle against rival MGA Entertainment, which sells the edgier Bratz dolls. A jury found that Bratz designer Carter Byant conceived the pouty-lipped dolls while on Mattel's payroll, and that MGA secretly plotted with him to steal the billion-dollar idea, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Mattel Chairman and CEO Robert Eckert called the verdict "a triumph—this important principle has been confirmed by the jury: what MGA did was wrong." Damages will be decided in future hearings, while the toy industry assesses the fallout.
