Mattel sues ‘pornographic Barbie’ website

Mattel has filed suit against a pornographic website over claims it is illegally using the Barbie trademark and damaging the company’s good name. The US toy giant says that chinabarbie.com is trying to use the brand’s positive image to attract users.

The lawsuit, which it filed on Tuesday in New York, states that Mattel has registered trademarks to protect the Barbie range, which has sold more than a billion dolls across the globe. It is seeking unspecified damages.

The chinabarbie.com site says she is a 34D-22-33 “cordial young lady” who has sat behind the desks of some of the world’s leading investment banking firms and advertising agencies before embarking on a career in pornography.

The website is registered to a company called Global China Networks and is operated by Terri Gibson, a US citizen. It has sold memberships to customers around the world.