Canadian stripper and nude model Barbie Doll Benson is in a spot of legal trouble with the maker of the plastic doll of the same name. Toy giant Mattel is insisting that Benson turn over her domain name, BarbieBenson.com, claiming that the name infringes on the Barbie trademark.
Benson said she has been dancing under the Barbie Doll Benson name for 16 years, and she isn't going to give it up without a fight. The former Miss Nude Canada has retained Canadian and US attorneys to fight Mattel.
The company did not respond to questions when contacted for this story.
Benson says that Mattel may have given up on its attempt to gain control of her Web site, although Canada's National Post newspaper reported on Wednesday that the firm was still pursuing action.
"They keep continuing to go over the content of my site," Benson said. "My lawyer thinks they don't have anything to stand on."
Benson's site doesn't make any reference to Mattel's doll, and her logo and graphic bear no similarity to Mattel's Barbie Web site.
Mattel has been moving swiftly into the digital marketplace this year. The company acquired kids' software firms The Learning Company and Purple Moon to build its presence in the gaming and software markets.
Like other big trademark holders, Mattel has also pursued a spate of trademark infringement cases against online parodists and detractors. In 1997, Mattel made a famous example out of Mark Napier, maker of the Distorted Barbie, a satirical Web page of Barbie paraphernalia.
Benson isn't new to cease-and-desist orders. In November 1997, she received a letter from the children's public television show Sesame Street insisting that she discontinue the use of the characters Bert and Ernie in her stage show.
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