About this item
Are your ideas your own or does your employer own them? This is the question that set off the greatest toy war of our time.When Carter Bryant began designing what would become the billion-dollar line of Bratz dolls, he was taking time off from his job at Mattel, where he designed outfits for Barbie. Later, back at Mattel, he sold his concept for Bratz to rival company MGA. Law professor Orly Lobel reveals the colorful story behind the ensuing decade-long court battle.This entertaining and provocative work pits audacious MGA against behemoth Mattel, shows how an idea turns into a product, and explores the two different versions of womanhood, represented by traditional all-American Barbie and her defiant, anti-establishment rival -- the only doll to come close to outselling her. In an era when workers may be asked to sign contracts granting their employers the rights to and income resulting from their ideas -- whether conceived during work hours or on their own time -- Lobel's deeply researched story is a riveting and thought-provoking contribution to the contentious debate over creativity and intellectual property.
About the Author
Orly Lobel is the Don Weckstein Professor of Law at the University of San Diego and the award-winning author of four books and numerous articles.
Lobel's research is published widely in the leading journals in law, economics, and psychology. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Businessweek, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Sunday Times, Globe and Mail, CNBC, Fortune, CNN Money and HuffPost. Her book Talent Wants to Be Free is a Gold Medalist in the 2014 Axiom Best Business Book Awards and the winner of Best Business Book in the 2014 International Book Awards. A world traveler, Lobel has lectured at Yale, Harvard, UCSD, Tel-Aviv University, and is a frequent speaker at top research and business institutes throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
Lobel lives in La Jolla, California with her husband and three daughters. Lobel was recently named one of the 50 Sharpest Minds in Research by The Marker Magazine.