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May 14, 2017[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][slz_image img=”3362″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Hasbro Inc. over its plastic hamster doll bearing her name. Faulkner, co-host of the show “Outnumbered,” alleges The Harris Faulkner Hamster Doll, which debuted last year as part of Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop product line constitutes false endorsement, and unfair competition under the Lanham Act, violates Faulkner’s right of publicity, and is simply “demeaning and insulting.” Further, according to a complaint filed Monday in federal court in New Jersey, the doll also harms the professional reputation of the “the uniquely named, acclaimed veteran journalist and author.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] And in addition to the unauthorized use of Faulkner’s name, the complaint said, the doll bears a physical resemblance to her professional appearance, “in particular tone of its complexion, the shape of its eyes, and the design of its eye makeup.” The complaint states “Through these actions, Hasbro has caused substantial commercial and emotional damage to Faulkner.” Faulkner further states that the trademark symbol next to the name “falsely signifies that Hasbro claims a United States trademark interest in Faulkner’s name, when it in fact owns no such interest, registered or otherwise.” The sticker above her name, which directs consumers to the LittlestPetShop.com website, shows the toy maker is not only using her name to market the product but also to market the website and the entire product line, according to the complaint. Faulkner is also “extremely distressed” about the choking hazard warning, the complaint said, because it wrongly associates her with a plastic toy that risks harming small children.
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