The Energon Pub

Forgive my ignorance, but how do these fansproject toys, which are BLATANTLY Hasbros characters, get away with being produced?..and are they sold for profit? they're awesome but i dont see how Hasbro would allow this.

Because I think Hasbro realises it has more to lose if they persue legal action. They're not losing any money by keeping FP around, FP hasn't made anything that's blatantly producing something that Hasbro wasn't planning on making and if Hasbro shuts them down, then the fanrage would be enormous.

SEXFIGHTER wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but how do these fansproject toys, which are BLATANTLY Hasbros characters, get away with being produced?..and are they sold for profit? they're awesome but i dont see how Hasbro would allow this.

First of all, please change your username, it's a PG-13 board :p

Ok, the reason is that they're not producing "rip-offs" per se. What they do is operate in a legal grey area. They're not using the designs and patents of TakaraTomy and Hasbro directly: more often than not, they're simply accessories, which is perfectly legal. Trademarks are also untouched upon: they're using generic names to describe what they produce.

Hasbro usually doesn't bother with sueing those small-time companies, as going to trial takes takes a lot of time and money, the gain isn't that grand (if any) and the threat is minimal since they're not for the main market.
That's what also makes them so expensive: like BotCon exclusives, their production numbers are limited, and limited runs don't allow effective spreading of production costs. Put it shortly, the price per unit produced depends on the amount total produced.

This is also a good thing to know. Takara actually allowed a company to sell a model of G1 Powerglide at a convention for one single day. They're not sold with profit, but I think they're making just enough to stay alive. They're made for fans, by fans you know?

Plus FPs add-on kits seem to actually help HasTak sell product. Magnus, Prime, Bruticus all had 3rd party kits produced which stimulated sales of the original figures to sold out status more or less overnight. Hell, try finding a decently priced Hardhead now, and that's after a single prototype pic was shown for a 3rd party Headmaster.

The Legend wrote:Plus FPs add-on kits seem to actually help HasTak sell product. Magnus, Prime, Bruticus all had 3rd party kits produced which stimulated sales of the original figures to sold out status more or less overnight. Hell, try finding a decently priced Hardhead now, and that's after a single prototype pic was shown for a 3rd party Headmaster.

Except they were off the shelves long before the kits were conceived. Hasbro has made it's money, it's the resellers and eBay that receive the profits now

The Legend wrote:Plus FPs add-on kits seem to actually help HasTak sell product. Magnus, Prime, Bruticus all had 3rd party kits produced which stimulated sales of the original figures to sold out status more or less overnight. Hell, try finding a decently priced Hardhead now, and that's after a single prototype pic was shown for a 3rd party Headmaster.

Yeah. I bought the molds for Superion and Bruticus pretty much solely for those add-on kits.

As much as Hasbro would want to it doesn't own the rights to all brown and purple transforming Space shuttles.

What they can't do is call them Swindle and Blastoff, because those names are owned by Hasbro.

Just like Hasbro could make aqnd release Jetfire for the classics line.
For all intents and purposes it looks like a VF, but its not. And because Yamato can't copyright all transforming Jets planes, they can copy right the names of their specific Valkyries.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

SEXFIGHTER wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but how do these fansproject toys, which are BLATANTLY Hasbros characters, get away with being produced?..and are they sold for profit? they're awesome but i dont see how Hasbro would allow this.

First of all, please change your username, it's a PG-13 board :p

Unnecessary.

You don't have to change your user name Sexfighter.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

The Legend wrote:Plus FPs add-on kits seem to actually help HasTak sell product. Magnus, Prime, Bruticus all had 3rd party kits produced which stimulated sales of the original figures to sold out status more or less overnight. Hell, try finding a decently priced Hardhead now, and that's after a single prototype pic was shown for a 3rd party Headmaster.

Yeah. I bought the molds for Superion and Bruticus pretty much solely for those add-on kits.

As did I. Products I would have never bought otherwise. Hardhead I passed on a week before Headrobots previewed their pic, a week after I couldn't find any in stock anywhere.

If anything Hastak want to keep Fp around.. Like legend said, try finding a Bruticus or Superion set.. better yet a clasics Ultra magnus..FP makes Has tak money as well as money for themselves..It's like a perfect balance as long as FP minds their P's and Q's in terms of names and such,,,

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

The Legend wrote:Plus FPs add-on kits seem to actually help HasTak sell product. Magnus, Prime, Bruticus all had 3rd party kits produced which stimulated sales of the original figures to sold out status more or less overnight. Hell, try finding a decently priced Hardhead now, and that's after a single prototype pic was shown for a 3rd party Headmaster.

Yeah. I bought the molds for Superion and Bruticus pretty much solely for those add-on kits.

Same here... though now I can't get ahold of Superion's add on set

I actually got ahold of Hardhead with the intent of reselling him at first since I was so butthurt over an argument I had awhile back regarding an Onslaught repaint as Hardhead instead of Mega-Octane... which I'm still annoyed about.

But hearing the possibility of having a headmaster for him now holds off that plan until I know for sure. That's right, I'm willing to suffer a bad redeco that I never wanted in the first place if it can be made into a Headmaster.

Basicly:
Hasbro + Third party upgrades = Toys sold and wallets emptied.

LiKwid wrote:If anything Hastak want to keep Fp around.. Like legend said, try finding a Bruticus or Superion set.. better yet a clasics Ultra magnus..FP makes Has tak money as well as money for themselves..It's like a perfect balance as long as FP minds their P's and Q's in terms of names and such,,,

Exactly. And looks like they're doing that while turning out kick-ass product. We're all winners here!

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

LiKwid wrote:If anything Hastak want to keep Fp around.. Like legend said, try finding a Bruticus or Superion set.. better yet a clasics Ultra magnus..FP makes Has tak money as well as money for themselves..It's like a perfect balance as long as FP minds their P's and Q's in terms of names and such,,,

Exactly. And looks like they're doing that while turning out kick-ass product. We're all winners here!

Not really, by the time third-party add-ons come into play Hasbro/Takara has already made whatever money they were going to make from selling the figures to retailers. The add-ons do sometimes help move their intended figures off store shelves, but that helps the retailers not Hasbro/Takara directly. Don't get me wrong, I looooooooooooooooove me some third-party products. In fact I've been more excited in recent months by the third-party stuff than anything official.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:First of all, please change your username, it's a PG-13 board .

wait till you see my alt-mode then

SEXFIGHTER wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:First of all, please change your username, it's a PG-13 board .

wait till you see my alt-mode then

Drop it.

Mkall wrote:Because I think Hasbro realises it has more to lose if they persue legal action. They're not losing any money by keeping FP around, FP hasn't made anything that's blatantly producing something that Hasbro wasn't planning on making and if Hasbro shuts them down, then the fanrage would be enormous.

I wouldn't abbreviate Fans Project with FP, since I thought you meant Fun Publications and I was like whoah, why are they getting rid of fun pub, cause fun pub rocks.

If Hasbro wanted to stop Fans Projects, I think they could have by now. I don't think FP really helps Hasbro .... but I don't think it hurts them all that much either (not counting violating their intellectual property rights by making toys that are visually based off Hasbro's characaters).

With something like Fans Projects (and any other 3rd party company) it seems inevetable that it'll end at some point. Either someone will cross a line, become too profitable, or Hasbro will finally just end it all because someone upstairs will become tired of these guys. So enjoy it while it lasts!

Gauntlet101010 wrote:If Hasbro wanted to stop Fans Projects, I think they could have by now. I don't think FP really helps Hasbro .... but I don't think it hurts them all that much either (not counting violating their intellectual property rights by making toys that are visually based off Hasbro's characaters).

With something like Fans Projects (and any other 3rd party company) it seems inevetable that it'll end at some point. Either someone will cross a line, become too profitable, or Hasbro will finally just end it all because someone upstairs will become tired of these guys. So enjoy it while it lasts!

Won't happen, especially not with FansProject. The designs are too far off to let hasbro have any legal hold what-soever. FP's stuff usually upgrades an existing toy. And in the case of Warbot defender the toy doesn't look too much like the real Springer, Hasbro suing FP for making toys that kinda look like their products would be like Bandai suing Hasbro for making Classics Jetfire since it looks like one of their Makros/Robotech figures.

There's other ways to muscle FP out that don't involve Hasbro being, technically, right.

I recall someone saying that they could simply refuse to deal with distributers who carry FP's stuff. That's one way.

Merely bringing FP to court is another. Regardless of whether they win, I tend to doubt FP has the cash to throw at the problem, like Hasbro does.

There's probably other things hasbro could do, if so inclined. The fact that they haven't done anything makes me think they aren't inclined and all the fuss on their side is for show. Until, you know, they change their mind.

Armchair Attorny: Copyright Law, new for the Nintendo BS.

Dead Metal wrote:Won't happen, especially not with FansProject. The designs are too far off to let hasbro have any legal hold what-soever. FP's stuff usually upgrades an existing toy. And in the case of Warbot defender the toy doesn't look too much like the real Springer, Hasbro suing FP for making toys that kinda look like their products would be like Bandai suing Hasbro for making Classics Jetfire since it looks like one of their Makros/Robotech figures.

In my game, I'm going with this mission and I'm going to claim Hasbro rides the same fine line on a regular basis. I'm sure Hasbro will go for the throat first chance they get where FP actually infringes on a copyright, but so far I don't think they have much of a legal leg to stand on.

Also not sure what the legalities are around Hasbro trying to strong-arm the distributors, but either way, it would potentially just hurt their sales in the end...is it really worth it? i don't know that FP hurts Hasbro's sales at all. I don't think it helps like some other suggest as the product it affects is all aftermarket (other than maybe promoting general interest,) but I don't think it hurts them any.

PS, there was an earlier post that will go unnamed that totally made me

Counterpunch wrote:Armchair Attorny: Copyright Law, new for the Nintendo BS.

I just ROTF at this....

Fansproject needs to hurry up with protector!!!!I know for fact i had no intrest in Classics Rodimus until I saw the prototype shots of protector...Fp made me buy classics Rodimus

I'd give my right nut for a FP G1 Blurr.

Kibble wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:Won't happen, especially not with FansProject. The designs are too far off to let hasbro have any legal hold what-soever. FP's stuff usually upgrades an existing toy. And in the case of Warbot defender the toy doesn't look too much like the real Springer, Hasbro suing FP for making toys that kinda look like their products would be like Bandai suing Hasbro for making Classics Jetfire since it looks like one of their Makros/Robotech figures.

In my game, I'm going with this mission and I'm going to claim Hasbro rides the same fine line on a regular basis. I'm sure Hasbro will go for the throat first chance they get where FP actually infringes on a copyright, but so far I don't think they have much of a legal leg to stand on.

Also not sure what the legalities are around Hasbro trying to strong-arm the distributors, but either way, it would potentially just hurt their sales in the end...is it really worth it? i don't know that FP hurts Hasbro's sales at all. I don't think it helps like some other suggest as the product it affects is all aftermarket (other than maybe promoting general interest,) but I don't think it hurts them any.

PS, there was an earlier post that will go unnamed that totally made me

Hasbro have gone after retailers if they're selling knockoffs which are branded as Transformers, with the character names, faction sigils and such. That's what happened to Ages 3 and Up a couple years ago.

Droptested Thrice wrote:Hasbro have gone after retailers if they're selling knockoffs which are branded as Transformers, with the character names, faction sigils and such. That's what happened to Ages 3 and Up a couple years ago.

Really? The way I heard it was A3U wasn't able to get several shipment from it's shippers and lost out big.