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Mattel Sues Over Porno 'Barbie'

By LARRY NEUMEISTER,

Posted: 2007-08-22 13:39:27

NEW YORK (Aug. 22) - Toy maker Mattel Inc. went to court Tuesday to declare that the name of its clean-cut Barbie dolls doesn't belong on a model's pornographic Web site.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Mattel said the Web site for an adult entertainer named China Barbie has tried to benefit from Mattel's success with the 48-year-old line of dolls, which includes Barbie's sister, Skipper, her best friend, Midge, and Skipper's boyfriend, Kevin.

China Barbie's site says she's a "cordial young lady" who sat behind the desks of some of the world's leading investment banking firms and advertising agencies in New York before getting into porn. It says her filmography includes "Me Luv You Long Time," "Ethnic Cheerleaders 8" and "Passport to Paradise."

The site charges $19.95 for monthly access to its photos and video clips.

The lawsuit said Mattel had registered its trademarks to protect the Barbie line of dolls and the $1.6 billion in sales that it generates. Mattel said it has sold more than a billion Barbie dolls worldwide and a typical American girl owns eight of them.

According to the lawsuit, the offending Web site is registered to Global China Networks LLC and is operated by Terri Gibson, a Hollywood, Fla., resident.

A telephone message left for Gibson on Tuesday was not immediately returned, and an e-mail sent to China Barbie through the Web site was returned as undeliverable.

The lawsuit said Global China Networks used a domain name containing the word "barbie" in a "bad faith attempt to profit from Mattel's Barbie trademarks" and had damaged Mattel's good name.

The lawsuit asked the court to order the transfer of the domain name registration to Mattel, to award damages of up to $100,000 and to order that any profits Global China Networks achieved be given to Mattel.

El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel said the Web site is toying with an image it had carefully crafted since company co-founder Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll in 1959 after discovering that her daughter, Barbara, preferred to play with paper cutouts of adult female fashion dolls rather than baby dolls.

Associated Press Writer Dino Hazell contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2007-08-22 06:49:27

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42 comments

lou51960 12:25:19 AM Aug 25 2007

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NO MORE KEN. KEN LOST HIS D--K IN BARBIES CAR DOOR LOL I THINK BARBIE IS DOING LOU.

lou51960 12:19:43 AM Aug 25 2007

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SHE IS HOT AND WILL MAKE MORE MONEY THEAN A DOLL

lou51960 12:18:42 AM Aug 25 2007

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mudracer031 09:11:21 PM Aug 23 2007

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mattel grow up !you sound like some poor trash from the wrong side of the tracks trying to make a quick buck.yea sue somebody ya'll are ass's

jasanftner 08:05:40 PM Aug 22 2007

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Throw another shrimp on the barbie mate and give me a fooking fosters as well...How is the roo meat a comin lad....

investag8ting 05:45:13 PM Aug 22 2007

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Makes you wonder is Mattel that desperate or angry at the recall of some of it's Barbie toys that were made in China?

stocksshocks 04:32:33 PM Aug 22 2007

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Isn't Barbie a woman's name? So now do all women with the name Barbie have to pay Mattel for using their own name? She didn't call herself Barbie doll or Mattel. I think this lawsuit is a stretch.