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  K•B Toys (previously known as Kay Bee Toys)
is a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United
States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. It
currently operates 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico
as well as Guam. KB Toys operates three distinct store
formats: K•B Toys, K•B Toy Works, and K•B Toy Outlets (aka
Toy Liquidators). It is privately held in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts. K•B Toys was owned by Big Lots and Melville
Corporation at one time.  
Financial trouble
In 2004, due to increasing competition from national
discount chains such as Wal-Mart, on January 14, K•B Toys
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 365
stores.
 
In 2005, Big Lots and a group of creditors, including
toymakers Hasbro and Lego filed a lawsuit against top K•B
Toys executives, which claimed that K•B Toys executives
improperly paid themselves over $121 million, while ignoring
debts and closing stores. The executives responded that they
had done nothing wrong, and the store closings, layoffs and
debts were the product of intense competition with big box
retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. The lawsuit was later
settled for pennies on the dollar. Though, there are stores
being remodeled in Orlando, Florida if that is any
indication of the state of the company currently.
 
In 2007, K•B plans to close close to 150 stores beginning on
November 8th. The Gordon Brothers Group will handle the
liquidation of these stores. managers have been promised a
minimum of four weeks severance pay upon completing their
service through liquidation.
 
Lawsuit
Hong Kong-based Silverlit Toys Manufactory Ltd., an
acknowledged leader in the development and manufacturing of
high-quality electronic toys, and Spin Master Ltd.,
Silverlit’s North American distribution partner and owner of
the well-known Air Hogs brand of flying toys, have jointly
filed a lawsuit against K•B Toys and Westminster Inc. in the
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to
stop sales of a competing Mini Helicopter. The lawsuit
alleges that the Thunder Wolf Mini Indoor MicroLite
Helicopter infringes certain U.S. design patents owned by
Silverlit, creator of the Havoc Heli licensed by Spin Master
and sold as the Air Hogs Havoc Heli. Further, the lawsuit
contends that KB and Westminster conspired to copy the
popular Air Hogs Havoc Heli and replace those sales with the
infringing Thunder Wolf. In addition to an injunction
against further sales, the lawsuit also seeks damages for
past sales.
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