You don't mess with Barbie - and neither with Barbie-Q flavored chips:
Mattel, the manufacturer of the iconic doll, is suing the American underground snack brand Rap Snacks, which specializes in collaborations with leading hip-hop artists, alleging that the latter violated copyright in one of its new products.
The controversial snack is barbecue-honey-truffle flavored chips, on the packaging of which Nicki Minaj's picture is emblazoned.
Although the successful rapper often compares herself to a Barbie doll, dresses like her and sometimes even uses her as an alter ego, Mattel's lawyers did not like the fact that the word "Barbie" is displayed on the packaging of the snack in a way that reminds a little too much of the official logo of The doll (on the other hand, we must admit that "Barbie-Q" is a rather successful pun).
We have developed an appetite.
The controversial snack, photo: Rap Snacks
This is where the lawsuit, recently filed in Los Angeles, comes into play.
Mattel maintains that "Rap Snacks" never asked for - and certainly did not receive - permission to use the Barbie logo, but this did not prevent it from "launching the product on its own accord".
"Mattel" claims that as a result, consumers may be confused and think that there is a connection between the beloved doll and the potato chip snack.
In addition, "Mattel" cooperates with food manufacturers and markets official Barbie sweets and snacks, so the unruly snack creates more problems for her.
Mattel concludes that "Rap Snacks" "made a conscious and calculated decision" to launch the product, and even refused to take it off the shelves, despite repeated requests from the toy company.
Therefore, "as a last resort", the toy company applied to the court with a request to put an end to the fried mess, in addition to demands for compensation and royalties for the Barbie chips that have already been sold.
It should be noted that Nicki Minaj herself was not sued by Mattel, because even Barbie does not deal with Barbie.
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