Week 8: Bratz versus Mattel

The doll war is getting ugly. MGA entertainment and Mattel have went to court again over ,popular, Bratz doll. Mattel should let the case go. Millions of dollars are being spent on this case, which is nothing more than an egotisitcal battle for power. In fact, "Many people in the toy industry as well as on Wall Street don't understand why Mattel continues to spend the legal fees to pursue the case." (myeclassonline.com) Both sides are sligning mud at each other, accussing each other of stealing trade secrets, infringing, and other things. The court ruling for this case has gone back and forth. Mattel was awarded the Bratz line in court. However, the court threw that decision out. Apparently, the court belived that the Bratz doll belonged to MGA. In fact, the court ruled "it's value was overwhelmingly created by MGA."(myeclassonline.com) Mattel is keeps taking MGA to court, solely becuase of two reasons: greed and fear. "... At the height of their popularity grossed $1 billion in revenue for closely held MGA. The glitzy Bratz girls were also the first serious challengers to Barbie., whose sales began to soften as the Bratz dolls' popularity increased." (myeclassonline.com)Of course, it is understandable that Mattel wants to take out the competition, but now it is getting ridiculous.

Week 8: Progress on Final Project and Class Assignments.

I am making good progress on my final project. I found two lawyers to get in touch with through a reliable source. That source happens to be my aunt. She works in the city building and happens to know a lot of people who work for the city.I believe at least one of the lawyers will get back in touch with me so I can meet or call and interview him. I look forward to the networking opportunity because this is a new experience for myself. I haven't written down any questions to ask yet but I have been giving serious thought about what I will ask my lawyer. I am anxious to get the ball rolling, so to speak, so I can move on and complete the final project. I would say my project is in the development stage. I know what direction I want to take, and after I interview my lawyer, i will be able to execute the plans I have. I am excited to do so.

As far as the rest of class goes, I am doing fairly well. I stay on top of my tweets, with the exception of the past week. I have a little catching up to do. However, I am understanding topics discussed in class and I even find myself contributing to class discussions. When it comes to reading the textbook, I must say this is a area I slack in. I need to get back on top of that. It will only benefit myself if I do so. Overall, I'd say I am doing decent, I know what I need to fix, and I plan to do so as the quarter comes down the home stretch.

Week 7 EOC: Lawyers

John Ridilla  702-229-6629

Dan Bailey    614-229-3213

Melissa Barnard 775-333-8171

Adam McMillen 775-324-4100

Matthew Holland 702-636-4902

 Preston Sterling Kerr 702-608-0835

Mark Tratos 702-792-9002

Jennifer K. Craft 702-796-5555

William West Allen 702-949-8200

Edward B Chansky 702-792-3773

 

Week 6 EOC: "Illicit,The Dark Trade"

Illicit trade is everywhere. After watching the film "Illicit: The Dark Trade" it made me think. Is buying a knockoff product, such as a knockoff handbag or fake sneakers, really harmless? By purchasing these items we fuel black market corporations who make billions of dollars. Anything you can think of is being illegally copied somewhere in the world. Countries ship counterfeit all across the globe. Is it wrong? Yes, and it goes beyond retailers. Shutting down an illegal retailer is like cutting one head off of a three-headed monster. Another one will grow in their place and the speed that they grow is significantly fast. What is unfortunate is that the authorities really can do little to stop it. The black market trade industry is moving faster than the authorities. Viewing the film really opened my eyes up to something that is happening even my hometown. I personally, know many friends and family that frequent places like swap meets, trying to find a bargain. They even make and distribute counterfeit drugs. That alone concerns me. Not to mention, the hazardous materials they make them with. Now how can I when buying a bottle of Aspirin at my local market if it is real or not? The knockoff products are becoming harder and harder to identify as knockoffs. This is scary to know, especially with something as important as medicine. People have already died as a result of counterfeit drugs and this monster of an industry is growing day by day, it never sleeps. The trade networks in this business are very close knit. In the film, they stated that, "thousands of fake products are destroyed everyday..." However, this does not even touch the number of products being produced, distributed, and sold. How can we stop such a thing that travels all over the world? It is going to take governments working together speedily and effectively if we even want to begin to hurt that illicit trade market.

Week 5 EOC: Patent Claim Bedevils Product Makers

This article was an interesting read. It breaks down into depth how companies use old patents that have expired on new products. Now, obviously it is wrong. However, I can see both sides of the argument. These  companies do not want to go through the hassle of patenting their products so they use old expired patents. However, this takes the credit away from the original patent holder. If I was one of the patent holders whose patent was being used without giving me credit I would be furious! Would not you be also? Patent holders deserve every bit of credit due with their patents. In fact,others believe the same way I do. According to Daniel Ravicher, "It chills competition, it misleads the public and takes away from the credit patent holders deserve..." Lawsuits were definitely filed in expedience by these patent holders and that is only right. These corporations don't get to take easy road. Laws are set for a reason, to follow them.