Topps, Upper Deck settle baseball card lawsuit
* Topps accused Upper Deck of stealing its card designs
* Case settled in mediation
* Disney's Eisner, Madison Dearborn bought Topps in 2007
NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Topps Co, the trading card company, has settled a lawsuit in which it accused rival Upper Deck Co of stealing its designs for baseball cards.
The companies resolved the copyright infringement case through mediation conducted by U.S. Senior District Judge Robert Sweet, according to a Nov. 3 order posted online on Thursday.
Details about the settlement were not immediately available. Lawyers for both companies did not immediately return calls and e-mails seeking comment.
Topps, based in New York, was bought in 2007 by former Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) chief Michael Eisner's Tornante Co and private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC [MDPRT.UL]. Upper Deck is based in Carlsbad, California.
In its lawsuit, Topps said some of Upper Deck's 2009 trading cards mimicked its designs for several cards it made in the 1970s, including the popular 1975 baseball cards with a two-color border.
Topps had sought several remedies, including monetary damages and the destruction of the Upper Deck cards. Continued...
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