MGA vs Lady GaGa
The first round in the legal action launched by toy maker MGA Entertainment against Lady GaGa and Universal Music Group’s licensing company, Bravado, in the Manhattan Supreme Court has gone to the controversial singer when an emergency court motion was denied.
On 25 July MGA an application for a court order to compel the star to approve the in-production toys was denied by Justice Jeffrey Oing pending an official hearing on 29 August.
The conflict arose when Lady Gaga asked to have a voice chip removed from the dolls, a request that MGA says will prevent the release of the toys in the lead up to the crucial pre-Christmas sales period.
MGA has taken Gaga to court with a $10 million breach of contract suit, claiming the singer purposely delayed production and engaged in “intentional and deliberate delays” and acted in “bad faith”.
“Lady Gaga is pleased,” said the singer's spokeswoman.
In the suit MGA claims it sent sample dolls to Gaga in March 2012 and made the small changes requested. MGA says problems arose in late April after GaGa requested removal of the dolls’ voice chip and the doll’s launch be postponed to coincide with the release of her up-coming album and fragrance due on shelf in 2013.
MGA further claims that it was ignored or given “false and fraudulent” excuses after it insisted on sticking to the original distribution schedule.
It is reported that in the initial consultation phase of the doll’s development, the Bad Romance singer’s initial requests included making the doll “more supermodel-like”, giving it a Born This Way zombie-style kit and a removable head which would reveal a bloody stump.
