MGA and Louis Vuitton battle over poopy handbag toy

[LadyMoondancer]

I thought this was interesting . . . Louis Vuitton (luxury handbag makers) have brought MGA (LOL Surprise dolls company etc) to court over their slime-making playset, the Pooey Puitton purse playset.

Specifically, Louis Vuitton took them to court in France.  (The handbag company is based out of France.)  The French laws concerning parody are different from US laws.  (You can read the article to get details on how, but basically there is a higher bar to jump over than in the US.)  It sounds like Louis Vuitton has a good chance of winning.

So then MGA pre-emptively took Louis Vuitton to court in the US.

MGA asked a California federal court to preemptively declare that its similarly-named toy – which bears graphics that closely resemble Louis Vuitton’s trademark and copyright-protected Toile monogram print – is not infringing or diluting Louis Vuitton’s domestic trademark rights or its copyrights.   

However the stars were not aligned for MGA;  Louis Vuitton said, "We've never brought suit against you in the US" and the courts agreed.

Judge Walter stated in his decision, MGA failed to show that an “actual, present, and justiciable controversy has arisen between [the] plaintiff and [the] defendants concerning their respective rights.” To be exact, MGA “failed to plead facts that Louis Vuitton has asserted its U.S. trademark rights” against it, which are – as the judge points out, distinct from Louis Vuitton’s French trademark rights, even if those intellectual property rights “appear visually similar or identical.” 

Articles of interest:

Louis Vuitton and Pooey Puitton Maker MGA are in the Midst of a Bi-National Trademark Battle

MGA Entertainment is Taking Louis Vuitton to Court Over "Pooey Puitton" Toy

Louis Vuitton Laughs MGA Entertainment Out of Court in U.S. Pooey Puitton "Parody" Case

Who knew poop could be so controversial!  But seriously, it shows how much has to be taken into consideration for toy companies who want a global presence.  It's not enough to know the laws of your own country, you have to take into account the laws of every country you want to sell in.

[Nemesis]

I had never wanted an MGA poo bag... until now.

I always figured that there was a swarm of top lawyers, well-versed in international laws, who advised the marketing team before the products were even put into manufacturing... The world is complicated. XP

[bright rabbit 1]

It’s like Barbie My Scene vs Bratz anyone remember that?

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Are they a little late on this? I know court cases can take a while but this product has been out for a while. Oh well.
Did they not hire a Lawyer in France to asses their trademarks? Ha.

[brightberry]

Oh, I didn’t see how they looked alike until I saw the decorative squares.  Which makes it seem they were inspired buy the brand... and it was completely unnecessary to use those designs. I would be interested in reading how it all plays out.

[EnaRocketQueen]

Urgh... this poop craze needs to STOP

[bright rabbit 1]

Urgh... this poop craze needs to STOP

Agreed

[lovesbabysquirmy]

As soon as I saw that hideous toy, I hoped very much that Louis Vuitton would challenge them in some way...

[Nemesis]

Aww, I think it’s kind of cute in a bizarre way.

...Or at least, cuter than anything Louis Vuitton has ever produced and subsequently charged $3000-$8000 for...

[LadyMoondancer]

Most of the "poop" themed stuff is just slime, which wasn't really a thing in the 80s as much as the 90s.  (Though IIRC one of the 80s He-Man playsets did come with slime?)  I think kids of a certain age just find poop funny because it's sort of taboo. 

My gripe with the Pooey Puitton playset is that it's really expensive for what you get.

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

^  Amazon picture.  Yeah, glitter and slime are fun, but this had a retail price of $70!  Also, the purse is way too big for a kid to carry around as a cute little handbag.  Like . . . it's half the size of a six year old.

That said, I did want to share this video of someone customizing her purse into an awesome playset.  I was really impressed with her DIY skills!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFh0jKoNSYM&t=71s

[Nemesis]

Most of the "poop" themed stuff is just slime, which wasn't really a thing in the 80s as much as the 90s.  (Though IIRC one of the 80s He-Man playsets did come with slime?)  I think kids of a certain age just find poop funny because it's sort of taboo. 

I have that He-Man playset! It did indeed come with slime—I know, because I had to to clean the dried residue out of it when I bought it. The 90’s were packed to bursting with slime (much of it marketed by Nickelodeon, lol). It’s sort of nostalgic for me, seeing it become the “it” toy again.

But yeah, the “poop” stuff is just a goofy phase kids go through. The fact that it bothers a lot of adults is part of why they love it, honestly. It’s not really my cup of tea (though I found the mutated pets of “Flush Force” and “Ugglies Pet Shop” pretty cute), but I have no problem with any of it.

I love what the DIYer in that video did! I wish the original toy looked like that, haha.

[kCherry]

Moving this thread to the Toy Box since it's not really doll related.

Dollhouse Mod Cherry

[Zapper]

It’s like Barbie My Scene vs Bratz anyone remember that?

Except that My Scene wasn't a parody on Bratz associating them with human excrement

[Nemesis]

It’s like Barbie My Scene vs Bratz anyone remember that?

Except that My Scene wasn't a parody on Bratz associating them with human excrement

Have we confirmed that it’s human excrement? This toy line has a lot of magical pooping animals in it, so... Just sayin’.

[Zapper]

It’s like Barbie My Scene vs Bratz anyone remember that?

Except that My Scene wasn't a parody on Bratz associating them with human excrement

Have we confirmed that it’s human excrement? This toy line has a lot of magical pooping animals in it, so... Just sayin’.

I went down the Freudian path. He established this theory that children enjoy playing with their own excrement because it is the first thing they can "create" and parents should encourage it in order to build the child's confidence in themselves

Just to give a little spin on this entire "poop as a toy" trend.