An early bounce in stocks eased on Monday, with the Nasdaq turning negative after Mattel Inc reported a fall in profit and shares in Google Inc dropped ahead of a high stakes legal battle with Oracle.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 95.89 points, or 0.75 percent, to 12,945.48. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 2.71 points, or 0.20 percent, to 1,372.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 15.22 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,996.11.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy)