UltraPrimal wrote:kirbenvost wrote:Kibble wrote:I wonder if the Transformer Prime laptop line is the same as Hasbro's where the super limited initial run is good, but the ones they release to the masses are crappy?
lol... I was actually kind of rooting for Hasbro on this one. Maybe not right to ban sales, but to force a name change seems reasonable to me. "Transformer Prime" is just too blatantly similar. But whatever, makes no difference to us at the end of the day.
I agree. I was with Hasbro on this one. Though maybe the 2 companies should have just gotten together and released an official Transformers branded laptop/tablet thing. I'm currently in the market for a new laptop/tablet and I was actually looking at getting an ASUS Transformer Prime, simply because of the name.
Galactic Prime wrote:Hasbro was well within it's rights to sue, this judge is a dipshit.
necr0blivion wrote:When I hear "Transformer Prime", my thoughts go straight to the newest Hasbro animation depicting Cybertronians.
If it was just "Transformer" or "Prime", no issue.
shajaki wrote:necr0blivion wrote:When I hear "Transformer Prime", my thoughts go straight to the newest Hasbro animation depicting Cybertronians.
If it was just "Transformer" or "Prime", no issue.
i agree with this whole heartedly.
now most of this dissent comes from 3rd party talk, but whats with all the hatred and loathing towards hasbro lately? yeah.. id love for hasbro to make every transformer of my dreams, but get real people. its a business and they dont owe us anything. the fact that they cater to us at all is amazing. and as far as this story? they named it "transformer prime" for christ sake. they have every right to persue legal action.
shajaki wrote:necr0blivion wrote:When I hear "Transformer Prime", my thoughts go straight to the newest Hasbro animation depicting Cybertronians.
If it was just "Transformer" or "Prime", no issue.
i agree with this whole heartedly.
now most of this dissent comes from 3rd party talk, but whats with all the hatred and loathing towards hasbro lately? yeah.. id love for hasbro to make every transformer of my dreams, but get real people. its a business and they dont owe us anything. the fact that they cater to us at all is amazing. and as far as this story? they named it "transformer prime" for christ sake. they have every right to persue legal action.
Rated X wrote:shajaki wrote:now most of this dissent comes from 3rd party talk, but whats with all the hatred and loathing towards hasbro lately? yeah.. id love for hasbro to make every transformer of my dreams, but get real people. its a business and they dont owe us anything. the fact that they cater to us at all is amazing. and as far as this story? they named it "transformer prime" for christ sake. they have every right to persue legal action.
Are you serious ??? Seriously, are you serious ???
Im not saying the guy who named the laptop lives in a cave, but do you seriously believe he ever heard of the specific line "Transformers Prime" ??? Im not talking about G1 or Bayformers, Im talking about an small American made cartoon show aimed towards kids and collectors known as "Transformers Prime". The same show that even though it has been on the air 2 seasons, it just got it's first toys about 6 months ago.The guy probally only knows one name in the entire TF continuity, Bumblebee. (let alone the name to any series that until recently has been overshadowed by Michael Bay) Me personally, I dont even know what channel "The Hub" is on Comcast or what else they play besides TF Prime. I just download the show and watch it on my terms. I dont think there was any intenional theft and hasbro had to be smoking crack laced with meth to believe they had a case.
T-Macksimus wrote:Galactic Prime wrote:Hasbro was well within it's rights to sue, this judge is a dipshit.
Totally agree!! This ruling was Bullsh**!
Anyone with half a brain knows better to even think about releasing a product with ANYTHING Transformer in its name without clearing it through proper channels. The people at ASUS knew full well what they were doing and were deliberately banking on using the Transformer brand to jack their profit margins. This is blatant theft and infringement. This isn't like the gripe that Hasbro has with the 3rd party stuff, this is malicious intent by a corporation and those of you dismissing it and laughing about it, or even worse, promoting it don't seem to realize that Hasbro can't give you what you want when they have to invest their profits in stuff like this and they can't afford to just give in without a fight because that will screw over their consumers as well in the long run.
I don't know what some of you guys THINK you know about the business world but it sure doesn't work the way a lot of you imagine. This was a big deal and it sets a bad precedent for other companies to pull the same crap and in the long run, Hasbro's consumers and investors get screwed by stuff like this. Can each and every one of you afford to build your collections on 3rd party stuff alone? I sure as hell can't!
Galactic Prime wrote:T-Macksimus wrote:Galactic Prime wrote:Hasbro was well within it's rights to sue, this judge is a dipshit.
Totally agree!! This ruling was Bullsh**!
Anyone with half a brain knows better to even think about releasing a product with ANYTHING Transformer in its name without clearing it through proper channels. The people at ASUS knew full well what they were doing and were deliberately banking on using the Transformer brand to jack their profit margins. This is blatant theft and infringement. This isn't like the gripe that Hasbro has with the 3rd party stuff, this is malicious intent by a corporation and those of you dismissing it and laughing about it, or even worse, promoting it don't seem to realize that Hasbro can't give you what you want when they have to invest their profits in stuff like this and they can't afford to just give in without a fight because that will screw over their consumers as well in the long run.
I don't know what some of you guys THINK you know about the business world but it sure doesn't work the way a lot of you imagine. This was a big deal and it sets a bad precedent for other companies to pull the same crap and in the long run, Hasbro's consumers and investors get screwed by stuff like this. Can each and every one of you afford to build your collections on 3rd party stuff alone? I sure as hell can't!
Agreed 100%, I had no idea there were so many uneducated people here. I'm guessing most of the ones who think the Judge is right are all under 25 years old... So sad.
Galactic Prime wrote:T-Macksimus wrote:Galactic Prime wrote:Hasbro was well within it's rights to sue, this judge is a dipshit.
Totally agree!! This ruling was Bullsh**!
Anyone with half a brain knows better to even think about releasing a product with ANYTHING Transformer in its name without clearing it through proper channels. The people at ASUS knew full well what they were doing and were deliberately banking on using the Transformer brand to jack their profit margins. This is blatant theft and infringement. This isn't like the gripe that Hasbro has with the 3rd party stuff, this is malicious intent by a corporation and those of you dismissing it and laughing about it, or even worse, promoting it don't seem to realize that Hasbro can't give you what you want when they have to invest their profits in stuff like this and they can't afford to just give in without a fight because that will screw over their consumers as well in the long run.
I don't know what some of you guys THINK you know about the business world but it sure doesn't work the way a lot of you imagine. This was a big deal and it sets a bad precedent for other companies to pull the same crap and in the long run, Hasbro's consumers and investors get screwed by stuff like this. Can each and every one of you afford to build your collections on 3rd party stuff alone? I sure as hell can't!
Agreed 100%, I had no idea there were so many uneducated people here. I'm guessing most of the ones who think the Judge is right are all under 25 years old... So sad.
amtm wrote:This is just more proof of how inconsistently copyright/trademark law is applied.
Remember the movie the Secret of Nimh? Well, it was based on a book called Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. Guess what? Frisbee made them change the name of Mrs. Frisby to Mrs. Brisby. Nevermind that Frisbee itself was ripped off of a pie maker's name, Frisbie Pie Company, and its shape was designed after pie pans.
Or maybe take the Happy Birthday song. That was ripped off a song called Good Morning written several decades earlier. Yet if you try to use it, Warner will sue you, and win.
Or take the movie Dark City. They had to change the name twice. First it was called Dark World. Then Spielberg sued because somehow that was too similar to Jurassic Park 2, "The Lost World". So they went with Dark Empire. Nope. Lucas said he owned the word "Empire" because he used it in Star Wars. So they finally settled on Dark City.
Or take the Sleep Inn. Originally it was going to be called the McSleep Inn, since it was cheap and easy like McDonald's. McDonald's sued and won. Nevermind that sleeping in a motel for a night has nothing to do with getting a hamburger and fries in less than five minutes.
Based on history, Hasbro is completely within its rights to sue. Transformers are toys, but they're also tech, and I think you could easily argue there is a lot of crossover in their audience with all the 30-something male fans out there, so there is potential for confusion with an official Transformers product (and Hasbro had a toy Transformers laptop on the market not long ago, by the way, so it's not a stretch to think they'd license a real one soon after).
But Asus is also completely within its rights to rip off Hasbro's trademark, since nothing matters except whether you have enough money to win and get someone in the law enforcement/legal system on your side.
Kibble wrote:What I find amazing is that so many here care either way... Really, who gives a ****? Or maybe the better question is: why? Do Transformers somehow suffer from this stupid laptop having its name what it is?
Vicalliose wrote:Hasbro is probably in the right in terms of "laws", but f**k the law! It's just foolish to think anyone could mistake a damn Eee Pad for a $12.00 transforming robot toy. I'm just glad that there's still people in the justice system who have a little common sense left.
Hasbro is worth 3.5 BILLION, some computer company or small 3rd party company using a similar name or similar looking product, pose no threat to Hasbro or any of it's consumers in any way. Not to mention if 3rd party actually could pose a threat, the costs of 3rd party would need to be significantly lower. Regardless, I support competitive markets anyway.
Rated X wrote:
Good point. But Im not seeing alot of real Transformer fans here. Im seeing Hasbro fans. .
Shadowman wrote:I will put forth the theory that it was the internet itself trying to punch him in the face.
Rated X wrote:Good point. But Im not seeing alot of real Transformer fans here.
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