FOX News anchor Harris Faulkner sued Hasbro Inc., last week for producing a toy hamster with her name and likeness as part of its "Pet Pawsabilities" toy line, according to NBC News.
The six-time Emmy Award winner is suing the company for $5 million, alleging that Hasbro Inc., has "willfully and wrongfully appropriated [her] unique and valuable name and distinctive persona for its own financial gain," according to Entertainment Weekly.
The toy hamster was released last year and is part of the Littlest Pet Shop family, according to Entertainment Weekly. Other toy animals in the line include Honey Badgely, Benson Detwylver, and Bitsy Mudinsky.
The 15-page lawsuit filed against the world's third largest toy company by Harris had a lot to say about the production of the seemingly harmless toy.
"Hasbro's manufacture, sale, and distribution of the Harris Faulkner Hamster Doll is extremely concerning and distressing to Faulkner. In addition to its prominent and unauthorized use of Faulkner's name, elements of the Harris Faulkner Hamster Doll also bear a physical resemblance to Faulkner's traditional professional appearance, in particular tone of its complexion, the shape of its eyes, and the design of its eye makeup. Hasbro's capitalization on Faulkner's name, likeness, identity, and persona is underscored with the display of the 'TM' symbol after her name and a statement on the back of the packaging that this symbol 'denote[s] U.S. Trademark' that-falsely-claims that Hasbro owns a United States trademark in 'Harris Faulkner,'" it read, according to Deadline.
Harris filed the lawsuit in New Jersey where she is being represented by Paul Halasz and Dennis LaFiura of Day Pitney LLP of Parsippany, according to Deadline.
