Survey: Lawsuits in the News

The news articles listed below are from Lexis/Nexis Academic Search, available at BGSU through OhioLINK. Search Paramaters (for those interested) were as follows: General News, Publication type: Newspaper and Magazine or Journal. Keywords: Barbie and (lawsuit or litigation), Dates 01/85 - 04/03. The search was performed April 16, 2003, and does not reflect any articles published after that date. Each article retains its original copyright information. Acrobat Reader is needed to view these files. You may download Acrobat Reader here. Articles open in a new window.
Year Article
1990 Dolled-up strippers land in lawsuit. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 3.
1991

Barbie to Petra: You're no friend of mine. Adweek. April 15.

Mattell objects, but judge rules to allow new Petra ad to air. Adweek, April 22.

Barbie in the volley of the dolls: Mattel goes to court against 'Miss America' competitor. The Washington Post. August 1.

Beyond Barbie. The Christian Science Monitor. August 12.

1992

Toytown Sindy has plastic surgery. South China Morning Post. December 24.

Barbie vanquishes pretender. The Buffalo News. December 27.

1994 Barbie prank gives voice to concerns. The Boston Herald. January 1.
1996

Mattel objects to Australia tampon ad. Adweek. February 5.

Barbie's maker battles makeup manufacturer over unflattering ad. The San Francisco Chronicle. November 26.

1997

'Take back your mink,' Mattel decrees. The New York Times. February 23.

Another battle over Barbie. Newsweek. May 26.

Beware of pink anger. Hobart Mercury. June 4.

Trendy Barbies for all occasions. The Toronto Sun. September 9.

Letters from the people: pulling the plug on 'Barbie Girl'. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 19.

Wheels. The Ottawa Citizen. Septrmber 26.

Lawsuit doesn't sink Aqua 'Barbie Girl' driving album sales. Billboard. September 27.

1998

Licence [sic] wars drag Barbie to court. The (London) Times. January 7.

Cutting Barbie down to size: women at Cal forum try to give glamorous doll a reality check. The San Francisco Chronicle. March 13.

Face it, the lady's become a tramp. South China Morning Post. March 14.

Mattel sues over explicit photos of Barbie, Ken. The Toronto Star. March 23.

Mattel fails to see the humor in any Barbie parody; she's no doll, after all; she's a gold mine. (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. June 7.

Barbie's latest dollhouse is a federal courtroom. The Denver Post. June 18.

'Barbie' website leads to lawsuit. The Toronto Sun. November 18.

1999

Suit filed to save Barbie's good name. Chicago Sun-Times. February 5.

Making the news. Australian Financial Review. February 6.

Barbie maker sues local firm. South China Morning Post. April 26.

Porn site sued over Barbie. The Australian. October 5.

Media Talk: Mattel sues publisher over Barbie essays. The New York Times. December 6.

2000

Barbie goes to Hollywood. The Irish Times. January 26.

Trailer Trash doll; from Arsenic & Apple Pie. Creative Review. March 1.

Taking on Mattel: company isn't toying around with artist and Barbie exhibit. The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 16.

2001

Parents, officials support pulling Barbie race exhibit. The Denver Post. February 28.

Removal of pupil's project about race ignites debate. The New York Times. March 4.

United States: bad Barbie dolls. Mondaq Business Briefing. August 3.

Judge lets artist use Barbie in parodies. The Houston Chronicle. August 14.

Artist has his way with Barbie doll. The Australian. August 15.

Barbie in a blender? Judge says that's OK. (Melbourne) Herald Sun. August 15.

A new brand of internet pirate out to infringe the trademark. The Scotsman. November 12.

2002

Childhoods trashed by merchandisers. Hobart Mercury. October 8.

In Brief/Internet: Mattel loses ruling on cybersquatting law. Los Angeles Times. November 8.

Dungeon Doll no threat to squeaky clean Barbie. The Advertiser. November 9.

Toying with copyright exploitation. The Scotsman. November 20.

American icons shatter myth of one happy family. The Ottawa Citizen. December 26.

2003

Goodbye, Dolly - Barbie suit tossed. (New York) Daily News. January 28.

Supreme Court spurns Barbie suit; 'Blond bimbo' song doesn't infringe on Mattel trademark doll, justices say. The San Francisco Chronicle. January 28.

Barbie is not a bimbo. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 4.


Copyright © 2003, 2005 Michelle Smith except where otherwise noted. | Disclaimer