Hasbro says it owns rights to Game of Life
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Hasbro hit back Friday in a lawsuit over who owns the rights to The Game of Life, flatly denying claims by a toy inventor’s widow who says her husband created the board game and that she is owed $2 million or more in royalties.
The board game has sold more than 30 million copies and been spun off into an iPhone app, TV show, gambling and other ventures.
Lorraine Markham sued Hasbro earlier this year in federal court in Providence. She says her husband, Bill, invented the game in 1959, but he struck a deal with another toy inventor.
She said Hasbro has taken credit for the game, denying her husband his legacy.
In its first response to the lawsuit, Pawtucket-based Hasbro Inc. on Friday denied that Markham created or designed the game and said his widow has no ownership interest in it. The toy maker said in court papers that it owns copyrights and other intellectual property rights to the game and its packaging, not Markham.
Congress OKs plan to ban microbeads
WASHINGTON – Plastic microbeads used in soaps, body washes and other personal-care products will be phased out starting in 2017 under legislation approved by Congress and sent to the president.
The Senate approved the bill Friday following House approval last week. Lawmakers said the bill was needed to protect fish and wildlife that are ingesting the tiny beads after they are rinsed down the drain and discharged into lakes and rivers.
Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used as an abrasive in many personal-care and beauty products, such as facial scrubs, soaps and toothpastes. They do not dissolve and can persist in the environment for decades.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, called microbeads devastating to wildlife and human health.
Obama expected to sign budget deal
WASHINGTON – Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a bipartisan but deficit draining year-end budget package that boosts federal agency spending and awards tax cuts to both families and a sweeping array of business interests.
A 65-33 Senate vote on the measure was the last act that shipped the measure, combining $1.14 trillion in new spending in 2016 and $680 billion in tax cuts over the coming decade, to Obama. It had earlier swept through the House on a pair of decisive votes on Thursday and Friday, marking a peaceful end to a yearlong struggle over the budget, taxes, and Republican efforts to derail his regulatory agenda.
Obama signed the measure Friday, which includes many of the spending increases he fought for all year and is largely cleansed of GOP attempts to block his moves on the environment, financial regulation, and consumer protection.
Associated Press
