Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, has been awarded $100 million (£54 million) in a legal battle against the maker of rival dolls Bratz.

The world's largest toy maker sued MGA Entertainment, which produces the popular Bratz toys, claiming that the designer, Carter Bryant, came up with the concept while working at Mattel.

A federal jury in California found in Mattel's favour in July. Today, the same jury ordered MGA and its chief executive, Isaac Larian, to pay $90 million to settle breach of contract claims.

MGA subsidiaries were ordered to pay a further $10 million for copyright infringement.

Although the award fell far short of the $1.8 billion demanded by Mattel, it was hailed as a victory for the house of Barbie.

Mattel said it would now seek an injunction to prevent MGA from producing any Bratz dolls.

Robert A. Eckert, Mattel's chief executive, said: "Mattel has pursued this case first and foremost as a matter of principle. We have an obligation to defend ourselves against competitors who choose to engage in fraudulent activities against us.”

MGA said it would appeal the decision and that it would continue making Bratz dolls.

Lawyers for Mattel claimed that MGA owed it at least $1 billion in profits from the Bratz line, with interest, and an additional $800 million for breach of Mr Bryant's contract.

MGA argued that the jury should award Mattel as little as $30 million because it had built the toys into a successful brand through its own marketing and expertise.

Today, the jury found that neither Mr Larian nor MGA had acted willfully in using Mr Bryant's drawings, which limited the scale of the damages.

Mr Bryant settled his dispute against Mattel on the eve of the trial.

After their introduction in 2001, the Bratz line exploded in popularity among “tweens", girls aged 7 to 12. The dolls have oversized feet, heads and hands, curling lashes and huge, almond-shaped eyes daubed with eyeshadow.

In the past seven years, MGA has built the popular brand to include more than 40 characters and expanded it with spin-offs such as Bratz Babyz, Bratz Petz, Bratz Boyz and items such as helmets, backpacks and bedsheets.

Sales of Barbie, once regarded as a near rite-of-passage in American girlhood, have slid since the Bratz dolls came on the market. US sales of Barbie slipped 15 percent in 2007 and 12 percent in the first three months of 2008.

Growth in international sales has also slowed, increasing only 6 per cent in 2008, half that of the previous year.

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