‘Shahs of Sunset’: Producers respond to controversy over “Persian Barbie” comment
When we first met Lilly Ghalichi, the newest cast member of the hit Bravo series “Shahs of Sunset” she was referred to as a “Persian Barbie”, which we thought was a fairly accurate description of the beauty, but as it turns out not everyone agrees and in fact one woman is completely pissed off about it.
A new report from TMZ revealed that a Persian model named Niki Ghazian was angry at the “Shahs of Sunset” for trying to steal the moniker “Persian Barbie” from her and sent Berne Productions a cease and desist letter. Producers from the show have responded to Ghazian’s claims to the name and said that the model cannot take ownership of a name that belongs to no one but Mattel – the company that actually owns Barbie doll. They said:
“Any claim that Ms. Ghazian has acquired any property rights to a term that is a basic derivative of “Barbie” (i.e. “Persian Barbie”) is unsound and not defensible.”
Berne went on to say that “Shahs of Sunset” isn’t violating Mattel’s trademark over Barbie doll because when they use the term “Persian Barbie” it is only as a description of what Lilly looks like and aren’t trying to market her as a “Persian Barbie”.
A new episode of “Shahs of Sunset” airs tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo and if you happened to miss the series premiere last week, be sure to catch up by reading our review of the show here.
Photo: Bravo
Mel
December 10, 2012 @ 2:37 pm
Considering Lilly graduated Cum Laude from law school, would suggest she’s a pretty sharp “Barbie”. I’m sure she was able to put to good use her previous knowledge of what she’s learned. Perhaps next time go after a reality star who has less of an education. Lilly would be a hard nut to crack, in terms of her previous degree in law, and her power to use what she’s learned.