Verdict in on Taco Bell lawsuit.

[Skywatcher]

Simmer down, they were sued for illegal use of the chihuahua.

Miami Hearld
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A federal jury on Wednesday awarded $30.1 million to two Michigan men who sued Taco Bell, accusing the restaurant chain of stealing their idea for an advertising campaign featuring a talking Chihuahua.

The jury awarded Thomas Rinks and Joseph Shields, both of the Grand Rapids area, the full amount they were seeking when they filed suit in January 1998. The two men formed a marketing company, Wrench LLC, in 1995.

“Taco Bell continues to strongly believe that the Chihuahua character was created by the Chiat-Day advertising agency, not the plaintiffs, and we intend to appeal the jury’s verdict,” said Laurie Gannon, a spokeswoman for Taco Bell Corp., which is based in Irvine, Calif.

Rinks said he and Shields first created a cartoon character called “Psycho Chihuahua” to put on T-shirts they sold. They soon licensed the character to other companies, which used it on products such as calendars and school notebooks.

Taco Bell first approached them at a licensing show in New York in June 1996 and said they were looking for a mascot for a new advertising campaign, Rinks said.

The lawsuit accused Taco Bell of breach of contract and wrongly making money from the ad campaign. Quist initially dismissed the case on technical grounds in June 1999. The plaintiffs’ lawyers appealed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, which reversed the ruling in July 2001 and returned the case to the trial court.

Taco Bell appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. In January 2002, the high court, without comment, declined to get involved in the legal dispute, clearing the way for the trial to begin on May 13.

[mobo85]

To me, a “Psycho Chihuahua” sounds like he would angrily attack people and ask them for tacos in a screaming voice.

[Washte]

I loved that ickle doggie… when he first came out. The adverts soon wore off in novelty. Was cute though.