Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc.
E709613
Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc. is a landmark U.S. copyright and trademark case in which the Ninth Circuit, in an opinion by Judge Alex Kozinski, held that the song "Barbie Girl" was protected parody and did not infringe Mattel’s rights in the Barbie doll.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Ninth Circuit case
ⓘ
United States court case ⓘ copyright case ⓘ trademark case ⓘ |
| appliesTest | Rogers test NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| areaOfLaw |
entertainment law
ⓘ
intellectual property law ⓘ |
| citation |
296 F.3d 894
ⓘ
63 U.S.P.Q.2d 1715 ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 2002 ⓘ |
| defendant |
Aqua
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
MCA Music Scandinavia AB NERFINISHED ⓘ MCA Records, Inc. NERFINISHED ⓘ Universal Music Group, Inc. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| docketNumber | No. 99-56003 ⓘ |
| famousQuote | "The parties are advised to chill." ⓘ |
| holding |
Mattel’s trademark claims were barred by the First Amendment
ⓘ
the song "Barbie Girl" does not dilute the Barbie trademark ⓘ the song "Barbie Girl" does not infringe Mattel’s Barbie trademark ⓘ the song "Barbie Girl" is a protected parody under the First Amendment NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| industryContext |
music industry
ⓘ
toy industry ⓘ |
| involvesCopyright | Barbie-related intellectual property ⓘ |
| involvesTrademark | Barbie NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| involvesWork |
Barbie Girl
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Barbie doll NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
Ninth Circuit
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
United States of America ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| languageOfOpinion | English ⓘ |
| legalPrinciple |
parody can be a defense to trademark infringement and dilution claims
ⓘ
trademark law does not confer a right to control language ⓘ use of a trademark in the title and lyrics of an expressive work can be protected by the First Amendment ⓘ |
| notableFor |
articulating strong First Amendment protection against trademark claims
ⓘ
defining the scope of parody protection for pop music ⓘ |
| opinionBy | Alex Kozinski NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| plaintiff | Mattel, Inc. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedCase | Rogers v. Grimaldi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result |
Mattel’s claims were dismissed
ⓘ
judgment in favor of MCA Records and other defendants ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
First Amendment
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
copyright law ⓘ fair use ⓘ parody ⓘ trademark law ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.