The Energon Pub

Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:22 am

Was going through bundles you can buy on a chat site and came across this.

http://www.imvu.com/catalog/newsletter/cybertron.php

Wondering if this is something Hasbro just never noticed was being sold under their legally owned name or if the added S at the end makes it fair use?

News Credits: 2 · Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:06 am

I've known of a few other "Cybertron"s. The most notable example is Saban's "Cybertron" series, but this was changed to VR Troopers before release.

I imagine it's a pretty hard word to hold onto. Cyber and tron are common computery words, that are combined in various ways to make nonsense terms. Every man and his dog has probably tried to patent a "Cyber-Tron" "Computertron" "CyberNewTron" and the like. Sometimes copyright is disallowed if they consider that many copycat names will spring up.

I'd guess that Hasbro own things like;

"Transformers Cybertron"
"War for Cybertron"
"Cybertron Primus"

and the like. Much easier to protect.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:40 pm

Funny you should mention IMVU, as I'm on it

Hasbro does own the trademark to Cybertron, yes. This little promotion could be in violation of trademark law, as real money is paid despite being virtual goods.
However, the name itself has never been trademarked I see, and I don't know if that constitutes to Fair Use. Also, "Cybertrons" is used to describe the avatars instead of "Autobots", and not the planet. That may make it hard for Hasbro to make a case.

Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:20 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote: Also, "Cybertrons" is used to describe the avatars instead of "Autobots", and not the planet. That may make it hard for Hasbro to make a case.

Realized that the flash video contains G1 transforming sounds. Would be hard to convince a judge the correlation was accidental. It's a second infringement within the same product.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:25 pm

Nyancatron wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote: Also, "Cybertrons" is used to describe the avatars instead of "Autobots", and not the planet. That may make it hard for Hasbro to make a case.

Realized that the flash video contains G1 transforming sounds. Would be hard to convince a judge the correlation was accidental. It's a second infringement within the same product.

Again, can be contested as fair use. Besides, Sound Effects aren't copyright, or at the very least not enforced if Anime is any indication.

News Credits: 97 · Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:16 pm

It's such a generic word that it's probably prone to use in a variety of ways by all sorts of people, and possibly not worth Hasbro's time to try to hunt them all down and intervene. Heck, there's even a brand of computers called Cybertron.

Sat Sep 01, 2012 8:52 pm

That dosen't make much sense, I mean hasbro sort of invented transformers. (Yay my first post!

)

News Credits: 241 · Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:15 pm

Justanormalguy wrote:That dosen't make much sense, I mean hasbro sort of invented transformers. (Yay my first post! )

Trademarks on names can expire through lack of use, or can be rendered generic through integration in common English language. Put simply, the more unique a name is, the stronger the protection will be from competitors. It doesn't matter who the name belongs to as words can't be copyrighted.

Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:27 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Justanormalguy wrote:That dosen't make much sense, I mean hasbro sort of invented transformers. (Yay my first post! )

Trademarks on names can expire through lack of use, or can be rendered generic through integration in common English language. Put simply, the more unique a name is, the stronger the protection will be from competitors. It doesn't matter who the name belongs to as words can't be copyrighted.

You are right, the same thing happened to Bumblebee, Hot Shot was originally going to be named Bumblebee, but copyright interfered with Hasbro's plans.