WOWWEE MEDIA STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ROBLOX CORPORATION LAW
MONTREAL, August 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Last night, WowWee, a family-owned toymaker responsible for the award-winning Fingerlings line, received word that Roblox Corporation has filed a lawsuit against our company. WowWee believes that Roblox’s allegations are completely baseless and looks forward to vigorously defending its position, product and brand.
WowWee created the My Avastars dolls to take kids offline in a hybrid model that uses digital attributes from the increasingly popular Metaverse and in-game physical avatar customization. WowWee specifically designed the dolls to appeal to girls ages 7-12, a demographic too often overlooked and left out of the metaverse. Since Roblox started out as a platform that encouraged collaboration with its users (to the benefit of Roblox), WowWee thought My Avastars would be a welcome addition to the Roblox platform. However, in June 2022a week after WowWee publicly announced the creation of its My Avastars dolls, Roblox changed its terms of service to the detriment of the creative community.
A week later, Roblox sent a cease and desist letter to WowWee threatening legal action if the company continues to launch My Avastars dolls. WowWee has spent several weeks trying to resolve this dispute amicably and in good faith and without the need for litigation. Following the cease and desist letter, WowWee has voluntarily unlinked My Avastars from Roblox.
WowWee is a company that focuses on designing and developing toys to amaze the imaginations of our customers, while Roblox’s actions today show that it is an organization driven by profit and power. The Roblox trial stands in stark contrast to the values of creativity, community and camaraderie that our My Avastars dolls are designed to promote. WowWee’s focus remains on children rather than the courts.
Unfortunately, Roblox stock is another example of a company using litigation as a growth strategy. Although it is a giant publicly traded company with a multi-billion dollar revenue stream, it targets a family business whose goal is to provide children with another way to express their individuality through the game. Yet, as parents have taught their children for generations, giving in to a bully encourages them to bully again. Today, WowWee intends to take a stand for the creative community. WowWee hopes you will join us.
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