Toyz has three locations in the Houston area, including a store inside the Almeda Mall. 

Toys 'R' Us recently announced plans to stage a national comeback at Macy's locations across the U.S. this fall, including a pop-up offering at the Memorial City Mall in Houston. Coinciding with this expansion, the once-dominant toy chain is suing Toyz —a local toy seller with three locations in the Houston area and an online store—for trademark infringement, accusing the small business of copying its logo, according to a report from ABC 13's Miya Shay.

Toyz owner Farida Afzal first opened the business in Sharpstown Mall in 2003 after immigrating from Pakistan to Houston. Her son Muhammad Afzal said the toy stores coexisted in the mall until Toys 'R' Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017. "We were right downstairs. Same mall. Same everything. You could see us downstairs, nobody ever came to us," he told ABC 13. 

When Toys 'R' Us eventually moved out of the mall, the Afzal family was allowed to move Toyz to the former Toys 'R' Us location. However, in 2021, the family received a cease and desist letter from Toys 'R' Us alleging that the store's muli-colored bubble font logo is too similar to its logo, according to ABC 13. Toys 'R' Us also reportedly accused the family of keeping old Toys 'R' Us decorations in the store, which the family denies. TRU brands, the parent company of Toys 'R' Us, filed a lawsuit just weeks later. 

Toys 'R' Us is suing Houston's Toyz for copyright infringement, accusing the small business of copying its logo. 

Lema Barazi, a partner at the Lloyd & Mousilli law firm representing the family said that her clients do not believe the logos are similar and will not change their logo. "We have a huge global corporation trying to fight and shut down a mom-and-pop shop. By having questionable allegations that, frankly, hold no water," Barazai told ABC 13.

A federal judge has paused the case until mid-September and is requiring lawyers representing Toys 'R' Us to provide a list of similar lawsuits it has filed around the world against other small toy stores, according to ABC 13. 

In July, Macy's announced a partnership with Toys 'R' Us reviving the once-popular chain in a pop-up-style format inside Macy's stores in the U.S. through mid-October. The shops, which range anywhere between 1,000 to 10,000 square feet in size, are featured at eight flagship locations, including one inside Houston's Memorial City Mall. 

Toys 'R' Us previously attempted a comeback in 2019 when it restored its website and opened two physical stores in Houston and Paramus, N.J., according to the Washington Post. However, the reopening was foiled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the two locations ultimately closed in January 2021. 

Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time.