Astronomer Files Trademark Lawsuit Against American Girl, Alleging Astronaut Doll Copies Her Likeness

(MADISON, Wis.) — A Chicago astronomer has sued the maker of American Girl dolls, alleging the Wisconsin company stole her likeness and name to create its astronaut doll. The federal trademark lawsuit filed in Madison this week by Lucianne Walkowicz asks American Girl and its parent company, Mattel, to stop selling the Luciana Vega doll, described as “an aspiring astronaut ready to take the next giant leap to Mars,” the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Walkowicz is a TED senior fellow at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, spent much of her career with NASA and has lectured extensively on Mars exploration. American Girl media relations did not answer the phone during business hours seeking comment. View this post on Instagram 3…2…1…Meet Luciana Vega! Our newest character is on a mission to be the first astronaut on Mars, leading the way for girls to explore their own curiosity about space and science—and helping their confidence soar. #CharacterCounts A post shared by Official American Girl (@americangirlbrand) on Jan 1, 2018 at 6:39am PST The lawsuit notes the doll has a purple streak in her hair and wears holographic shoes, just as Walkowicz does. “Here, the defendants used the name and likeness of Lucianne, a well-known figure in astronomy, space and STEM, who particularly studied the star Vega, in conjunction with the American Girl doll Luciana Vega without obtaining her authorizatio...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized News Desk wire Wisconsin Source Type: news