Orly Lobel - "You Don't Own Me"
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
“A thrill ride through backstabbing competition, business strategies, and the marketing of the American icon Barbie. Who knew intellectual property law could be such a page turner? An amazing story and a great read.” — Jonah Berger, best-selling author of Contagious and Invisible InfluenceOrly Lobel discusses her new book You Don't Own Me.
At the Co-op.
About the book: Every American, young and old, knows Barbie, the blonde, blue-eyed doll with a large breast and impossibly tiny waist made by Mattel. For decades Barbie has been bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars annually for Mattel.
In 1998 Barbie found she had some competition on the toy shelf when Carter Bryant, a Barbie clothes designer then on leave from Mattel, conceived of the Bratz dolls--plumpier, edgier, multiethnic--and subsequently sold them to MGA Entertainment. Needless to say, Mattel execs and Barbie were not interested in sharing shelf space with these upstart Bratz.
In You Don't Own Me (W.W. Norton) Orly Lobel delves into the tumultuous decade-long legal battle that ensued between Mattel and MGA Entertainment over intellectual property, entrepreneurship and business ethics, creativity, and ultimately, womanhood. Lobel interviewed the major players, while digging into the court record to find revealing testimony that brings together a tale about the American Dream, the rise of feminism and its evolution, consumer psychology, and the making of icons alongside betrayal, spying, and racism.
About the author: Orly Lobel is the award-winning author of Talent Wants to Be Free and the Don Weckstein Professor of Law at the University of San Diego. She holds a doctoral and law degree from Harvard University and currently lives in La Jolla, California.
Event Location:
Seminary Co-op Bookstore
5751 S Woodlawn
Chicago, IL
60637
See map: Google Maps
Related Titles
Hardcover | $27.95 | 9780393254075
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...