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But then they wouldn't be the iconic trio that they're known to be. It's tradition and almost universally demanded that the three be of the same form.NecaPrime wrote:Sabrblade wrote:Aside from one particular Bot Shots toy, when has Skywarp ever not been a redeco/remold?NecaPrime wrote:not so pleased that skywarp is just a repaint![]()
I see your point but that's what I mean by disappointed because it would be nice but expensive to have different moulds for all the seekers.
Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
Sabrblade wrote:But then they wouldn't be the iconic trio that they're known to be. It's tradition and almost universally demanded that the three be of the same form.
Henry921 wrote:You can always be counted on to listen to reason, Pryme.
Dead Metal wrote:Have you ever, and i mean ever seen/read/heard something that is completely original and does not copy/homage/pay tribute to something else? Here's a hint: Nope. You never have and you never will.
Then again, a lack of Skywarp in the show kinda made them get away with that easier.PrymeStriker wrote:Sabrblade wrote:But then they wouldn't be the iconic trio that they're known to be. It's tradition and almost universally demanded that the three be of the same form.
In all fairness, I really liked how Starscream & Thundercracker were two separate models in Cybertron.
Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
The design isn't completely accurate to the G1 toy. The head is the IDW design, and the legs are definitely more original and "Movie-esque" compared to the G1 toy's straightened legs. No "ski feet" either.Banjo-Tron wrote:Not sure if this has been asked before, so apologies if it has, but how have Hasbro been able to produce such a G1-accurate Whirl? My understanding is that they don't own the toyline in question (also responsible for Roadbuster, Jetfire, the Deluxe Insecticons) so wouldn't this infringe on the other manufacturer's IP? I mean, previous attempts at Whirl, Roadbuster and Jeftire have been much more vague. Has some sort of deal been struck?
Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
Banjo-Tron wrote:I dunno, it's pretty damn similar IMO.
Henry921 wrote:You can always be counted on to listen to reason, Pryme.
Dead Metal wrote:Have you ever, and i mean ever seen/read/heard something that is completely original and does not copy/homage/pay tribute to something else? Here's a hint: Nope. You never have and you never will.
Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
GuyIncognito wrote:I don't think "similar" is enough to constitute an infringement of IP, especially if the toy is based on a design and character that Has/Tak and/or IDW own the rights to.
And if Bandai wanted to bring legal action, wouldn't they have to demonstrate that Has/Tak's toy is harming the sales of their IP?
Banjo-Tron wrote:GuyIncognito wrote:I don't think "similar" is enough to constitute an infringement of IP, especially if the toy is based on a design and character that Has/Tak and/or IDW own the rights to.
And if Bandai wanted to bring legal action, wouldn't they have to demonstrate that Has/Tak's toy is harming the sales of their IP?
I don't think Hasbro own the rights anymore, hence no reissues, ever. They leased the rights some years ago but now the figures are Bandai's. I guess it's akin to the stuff that FansProject et al do at the moment.
GuyIncognito wrote:Banjo-Tron wrote:GuyIncognito wrote:I don't think "similar" is enough to constitute an infringement of IP, especially if the toy is based on a design and character that Has/Tak and/or IDW own the rights to.
And if Bandai wanted to bring legal action, wouldn't they have to demonstrate that Has/Tak's toy is harming the sales of their IP?
I don't think Hasbro own the rights anymore, hence no reissues, ever. They leased the rights some years ago but now the figures are Bandai's. I guess it's akin to the stuff that FansProject et al do at the moment.
Hasbro made a Whirl figure for FoC, and the character appears in the IDW comics, so obviously they have the rights to the character. Are you saying Bandai owns that FOC figure and IDW is using the character without permission?
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:GuyIncognito wrote:Banjo-Tron wrote:GuyIncognito wrote:I don't think "similar" is enough to constitute an infringement of IP, especially if the toy is based on a design and character that Has/Tak and/or IDW own the rights to.
And if Bandai wanted to bring legal action, wouldn't they have to demonstrate that Has/Tak's toy is harming the sales of their IP?
I don't think Hasbro own the rights anymore, hence no reissues, ever. They leased the rights some years ago but now the figures are Bandai's. I guess it's akin to the stuff that FansProject et al do at the moment.
Hasbro made a Whirl figure for FoC, and the character appears in the IDW comics, so obviously they have the rights to the character. Are you saying Bandai owns that FOC figure and IDW is using the character without permission?
No no no... The character's overall physical design is based on work from Bandai back in G1, but the character itself is all Hasbro. While the character itself can't be contested, the design of the toys can. Knowing Hasbro, they made Gen. Whirl's design similar enough to G1 to be recognisable as such, but legally ambiguous enough to pose a good risk to Bandai should they want to pursue it. The resulting court case could take years, too long for any positive outcome to be worth it. Besides, with a new design for a new toy, US courts will most likely rule in favor of Hasbro, or the parties would at the very least settle.
In law, basing a design off of a pre-existing item is different from downright copying it. Don't know how that works for the comics tho, but you do not want to mess with lawyers of corporations.
Va'al wrote:I keep track of everyone. Backwards.
There are atandarfs to maintain.
LOST Cybertronian wrote:Hey, If Mindmaster survived then you should do just fine.
Autobot032 wrote:Are we sure it's Bandai? I thought something called ToyBox was responsible for things such as this. Like Omega Supreme, Shockwave, Sky Lynx, you get the idea.
Last I knew, the only Bandai offering in G1 was Jetfire. (Let me say that again...last I knew)
Autobot032 wrote:Are we sure it's Bandai? I thought something called ToyBox was responsible for things such as this. Like Omega Supreme, Shockwave, Sky Lynx, you get the idea.
Last I knew, the only Bandai offering in G1 was Jetfire. (Let me say that again...last I knew)
GuyIncognito wrote:So Bandai owns the rights to the design of the original G1 toy, and that's it? They don't have exclusive rights to the character or the name? If Has/Tak and IDW have the rights to the character and name, it would seem to me that Has/Tak is perfectly within their rights to make a toy based on their character and to have that toy RESEMBLE the original design. As long as they're not copying it, they're OK. It's a gray area, of course, but my guess is that having the rights to the character grants Has/Tak the right to make a toy that RESEMBLES the original design, since that's inherent to the character itself. (It would be like granting someone the rights to the Superman character without the costume and the superpowers.)
Also, if Bandai hasn't done anything with the design since G1, doesn't that factor into whether or not they can enforce trademark claims?
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Simply put, Bandai would have no leg to stand on in court.
GuyIncognito wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Simply put, Bandai would have no leg to stand on in court.
That's my conclusion as well.
That's the million dollar question.Noideaforaname wrote:As cool as it is that Hasbro's able to faithfully recreate "foreign molds", I'm disappointed Whirl doesn't resemble his MTMTE self (bar a few details which very well could've been added in last minute), since that's by far the most famous and popular version of him. Plus we're getting so many other bots based specifically of the series, it's strange getting an appropriate Swerve, Tailgate, Skids, etc. only for Whirl to be so wildly different. Granted the two Whirls are similar enough, it's not like it's shoehorning in a Movieverse design or one of those oddball Asia-Exclusive/GDO repaints from however long ago.
Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
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