Mattel’s Patent War with Spin Master Finds New Battleground

Mattel Inc. filed petitions with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Sept. 7, arguing that two Spin Master patents for a rollable toy that opens up via a magnetic latch cover old ideas.

Mattel, based in El Segundo, Calif., filed the challenges in reaction to a patent infringement suit Toronto-based Spin Master lodged in California in April.

Spin Master makes the Bakugan game, in which players roll a ball that opens into a mechanical figure when it lands on special cards.

Mattel makes the Mecard gaming system, where mechanical cards are pushed and transform when they land on a card. ...