Write a magazine article about two famous companies who hate each other. Explain why they hate each other. Include imaginary interviews with a spokesperson from each company.
Write a letter to Krispy Kreme spokesman John McGuigan. Ask him three questions about his company. Give him three ideas on what kind of products Krispy Kreme should sell next. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Ask your partner(s) to answer the questions.
UNIT 13. BARBIE BEATS BRATZ IN U.S. COURT CASE
A. BEFORE LISTENING Practice the pronunciation of the following words taken from the text which you are going to listen. Famous, doll, company, jury, dispute, intellectual, to own, copyright, brand, decision, victory, however, amount, to award, damage, lawyer, to pursue, foremost, obligation, competitor, to engage, fraudulent, toymaker, to argue, to design, employee, occasion, concept, employment, bestseller, slice, to widen, character, analyst, profit, scene. Give Russian equivalents to the following English words and word combinations. The famous Barbie dolls, to win a court case against smb, a doll company, to settle a long-running dispute over smth, to own an intellectual copyright, an amount awarded in damages, lawyer, to make a statement, jury, to pursue a case, to have an obligation, to defend oneself against competitors, to engage in fraudulent activities against smb, juror, toymaker, to own rights, to argue, a former worker, employee, to work for smb on two occasions, to claim, to come up with a name and concept, employment, to become bestsellers, to take a large slice of the doll market, to widen someone’s brand, character, to arrive on the scene.
B. WHILE LISTENING 3. Listen to the text “Barbie beats Bratz in U.S. court case” twice. First time make notes about the numbers, geographical, proper or personal names which you might hear. When you are listening to the text for the second time, try to catch the events and the order in which they are spoken about. Agree or disagree to the following statements. 1) The makers of the Barbie and Bratz dolls fought each other in court. 2) At question was who owned the copyright to the Barbie doll. 3) Barbie’s makers won a record $1.8 billion in damages. 4) The court decided the company MGA could continue making Bratz dolls. 5) The maker of the Bratz dolls is the world’s largest toy company. 6) The creator of the Bratz dolls used to work for Mattel, Barbie’s maker. 7) Bratz dolls were launched over 40 years ago. 8) The Bratz dolls have dented the sales of Barbie dolls. Fill in the gaps using the following words.
Barbie beats Bratz in U.S. court case Mattel, the makers of the _____ Barbie dolls, has won a $100 million court case against the Bratz doll company MGA. A _____ in America settled the long-running _____ over who owned the intellectual copyright of the Bratz brand. Mattel said the court decision was a big _____ for the company. However, the amount awarded in damages was a lot _____ than the $1.8 billion dollars Mattel’s lawyers wanted. CEO Robert Eckert made a statement describing the importance of the jury’s _____: "Mattel has pursued this case first and foremost as a matter of principle. We have an obligation to defend _____ against competitors who choose to engage in fraudulent activities against us," he said. The courts still need to decide if MGA can continue _____ the Bratz dolls. Jurors had to decide _____ Mattel, the world’s largest toymaker, or MGA owned the __________ to the Bratz brand. Mattel argued that their __________ worker Carter Bryant designed the Bratz dolls while he was its employee. Mr. Bryant worked for Mattel on two __________, between 1995 and 1998 and again from 1999 to 2000. Bryant claimed he __________ up with the Bratz name and concept in the time between his two periods of employment with Mattel. The Bratz dolls have become bestsellers since their __________ in 2001. They have taken a large __________ of the doll market. MGA has widened its brand to include more than 40 characters. Analysts say the Bratz dolls make MGA around $500 million a year in profit. Barbie’s sales have __________ over 15 per cent since Bratz arrived on the scene. C. AFTER LISTENING
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