What is the Lanham Act? Judge reduces TI and Tiny Harris' $71M award from OMG Girlz Doll lawsuit to $17.8M

On September 23, 2024, Tiny Harris announced on Instagram that she and her husband, TI, had won a lawsuit against MGA Entertainment and were awarded $71 million. The couple expressed their happiness with the win after the four-year-long legal battle. However, the award was reportedly reduced to $17.8 million recently.

While a federal jury ruled in their favor, on January 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge James Selna had a different perspective. According to Judge Selna, there was no sufficient evidence to corroborate that MGA Entertainment directly copied the OMG Girlz designs. The judge further cited the Lanham Act.

The Lanham Act suggests that it is necessary to prove that a company has willfully infringed on an existing trademark. Enacted in 1946 by Congress, the act provides for a national system of trademark registration and protects the owner of a federally registered mark against the use of similar marks, according to the Cornell Law School website.

The concept of "willfulness" was previously discussed in the case: Romag Fasteners, Inc. v. Fossil, Inc. While the judge in that case held that "willfulness" couldn't be considered as the only factor to decide if the plaintiff was going to get compensation, it was also stated:

"Without question, a defendant’s state of mind may have a bearing on what relief a plaintiff should receive. An innocent trademark violator often stands in very different shoes than an intentional one."

Judge Selna further elaborated on the judgment, stating:

"At most, MGA and (owner Isaac) Larian were negligent about investigating an alleged claim of infringement, but not that they acted with reckless indifference or willfulness."

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TI and Tiny Harris, who praised the court's initial decision, will be taking a $17 million

While U.S. District Judge James Selna stated that there wasn't enough evidence to prove "direct copying," the judge acknowledged that several dolls resembled famous celebrities. It was further suggested that MGA designers had previously faced confrontations for their apparent copycat designs.

In a conversation with PEOPLE in September, Tiny Harris expressed gratitude to the jurors back for their take on the case. Tiny said:

"We wanted to thank the jurors for just seeing us through this."

TI then added:

"And just believing in what we said. They heard our story and they knew we wasn’t lying. It’s amazing."

The rapper also acknowledged the resilience shown by his wife, singer Tiny Harris, their daughter, and their nieces. Tiny had previously said that the couple was "elated" after the jurors' decision came in September.

As reported by Forbes in September 2024, the couple's lawyer claimed that MGA Entertainment was allegedly responsible for "bullying and misrepresentations."

The three original members of the OMG Girlz, Tiny Harris' daughter Zonnique Pullins, Bahja Rodriguez, and Breaunna Womack, testified that the dolls resembled their faces.

While the award has significantly been reduced, it is necessary to note that the judgment was still in favor of Tiny Harris and TI.