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King Kuuga wrote:All I'm seeing here is that nobody really understands trademark law, which is okay, it's not something that comes up everyday and it's full of gray areas and ambiguity.
EunuchRon wrote:So Hasbro is spending money on lawyers instead of, you know, making good toys? I could get it if someone named their character Optimus Prime or Megatron, but Bumblebee? Seriously? It's a common name for a common bug. These people gotta think their customers are all blind and stupid to mistake a bug lady for a car robot. Man I hate suits. Way to insult our intelligence, jerkfaces.
King Kuuga wrote:You cannot trademark the name Bumblebee for a toy of a bumblebee. It's too obvious. That's part of why there were never any Beast Wars characters named as such. But a yellow compact car or sports car that is also a robot named Bumblebee? You can trademark that
The suit claims that the DC “Bumblebee” — a teenage girl with the ability to shrink — could easily be confused with the Autobot “Bumblebee.”
The company is now seeking to block the sales of Mattel’s Bumblebee toy, which is part of the DC Super Hero Girls line of action figures. Hasbro is also concerned about a Bumblebee Lego set.
-Kanrabat- wrote:EunuchRon wrote:So Hasbro is spending money on lawyers instead of, you know, making good toys? I could get it if someone named their character Optimus Prime or Megatron, but Bumblebee? Seriously? It's a common name for a common bug. These people gotta think their customers are all blind and stupid to mistake a bug lady for a car robot. Man I hate suits. Way to insult our intelligence, jerkfaces.
One more "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" comment to add to the "don't get copyright laws" and "won't bother to read the thread" collection.
EunuchRon wrote:-Kanrabat- wrote:EunuchRon wrote:So Hasbro is spending money on lawyers instead of, you know, making good toys? I could get it if someone named their character Optimus Prime or Megatron, but Bumblebee? Seriously? It's a common name for a common bug. These people gotta think their customers are all blind and stupid to mistake a bug lady for a car robot. Man I hate suits. Way to insult our intelligence, jerkfaces.
One more "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" comment to add to the "don't get copyright laws" and "won't bother to read the thread" collection.
I read the thread, dude, and no, I don't get copyright laws. It's frikin confusing. How can anyone understand that stuff?
Seibertron wrote:Burn wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:One key note: the lawsuit is only about the trademarked name in the Toys & Sports category, not the copyrighted character in fiction. The two characters have the same name in fiction, which is fine, but trademark law allows only one company to lay claim on it in a certain category. That's where the clash comes from, the right to use "Bumblebee" for the toys. Just felt like pointing that out. >:
This needs to be quoted again in the hopes people actually read it and understand what this is about ...
And a 3rd time because it looks like people do not get what this is about at all.
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:It's not about viewing the consumer as dumb, it's all about the premise of each set of copyrighted products from a certain company having it's own unique trademarked name.
Hasbro, owner of the Transformers brand, filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing Warner Bros. and DC Comics of trademark infringement. The suit claims that the DC “Bumblebee” — a teenage girl with the ability to shrink — could easily be confused with the Autobot “Bumblebee.”
EunuchRon wrote:I read the thread, dude, and no, I don't get copyright laws. It's frikin confusing. How can anyone understand that stuff?
Va'al wrote:Deadput wrote:Actually I don't know my mother's name is Valerie so is Va'al actually my mother?
Yes. Now go to your room and don't play with yourself.
o.supreme wrote:King Kuuga wrote:You cannot trademark the name Bumblebee for a toy of a bumblebee. It's too obvious. That's part of why there were never any Beast Wars characters named as such. But a yellow compact car or sports car that is also a robot named Bumblebee? You can trademark that
So...DC has no "yellow compact car or sports car that is also a robot named Bumblebee" so why is Hasbro suing...?
The suit claims that the DC “Bumblebee” — a teenage girl with the ability to shrink — could easily be confused with the Autobot “Bumblebee.”
quoted straight from the article...in what world could those two types of toys be confused???
The company is now seeking to block the sales of Mattel’s Bumblebee toy, which is part of the DC Super Hero Girls line of action figures. Hasbro is also concerned about a Bumblebee Lego set.
OK...I may not be the worlds greatest father, but my daughter has a marginal interest in Super Hero Girls. I am no legal expert either, amazingly however, when my daughter speaks about "Bumblebee", and my son speaks about "Bumblebee"...without even using any pretext I KNOW which character they are talking about respectively. If they ask for toys or Brick based play sets of each, there is no confusion.
King Kuuga wrote:The only gray area is that Mattel first released toys of the DC character in the SHG line a few months before Hasbro finally secured the trademark to the name (I guess they've been going without the trademark between 2006 and 2015? I'm a bit unclear on that). I'm not sure if DC is as adamant about trademarking all their character names as Hasbro, but I have to assume they didn't have the trademark for Bumblebee at any point. As we should all be aware, Hasbro is very intent upon trademarking the names of all their characters, and applying them. That's why some characters are unable to be referred to by their at the time non-trademarked G1 names, because another company owns the TM and Hasbro doesn't want to end up in exactly the situation they're putting DC/Mattel in. (though again, this calls into question how they got away with all the Bumblebee toys between 2006 and 2015 when another company had the TM to the name)
Also I would like to point out, the issue in question is to do with trademarks, not copyrights. DC owns the copyright for a shrinking superheroine with bug wings named Bumblebee for use in fiction, and they sublicense that copyright out. The appearance of the character is copyrighted. The name, as applied to toys, is not covered under that copyright.
Kurona wrote:Man, I'm learning a lot today!
So jelze, if I'm understanding this right; legally this would inevitably have to happen at some point and Hasbro just decided to take the plunge now?
Rodimus Knight wrote:Burn wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:One key note: the lawsuit is only about the trademarked name in the Toys & Sports category, not the copyrighted character in fiction. The two characters have the same name in fiction, which is fine, but trademark law allows only one company to lay claim on it in a certain category. That's where the clash comes from, the right to use "Bumblebee" for the toys. Just felt like pointing that out. >:
This needs to be quoted again in the hopes people actually read it and understand what this is about ...
It would be curious to look, because I believe there was a Bumblebee Toy in the crappy Teen Titans Toy line back with the original Cartoon series around 2005. It would be funny if it was trademarked back then, and no one realized it and it was still active.
I almost hate to say it, but I do hope Hasbro loses this one.
Predaprince wrote:I am very thankful to have posters like sto_vo_kor_2000 who is so energetic about improving others' understanding and enjoyment of the TF universe
Stormrider wrote:You often add interesting insights to conversations that makes the fledglings think and challenges even the sharpest minds
T-Macksimus wrote:I consider you and editor to be amongst the most "scholarly" in terms of your knowledge, demeanor and general approach
sto_vo_kor_2000 wrote:FYI The teen titans cartoon of the early 2000's is not the original teen titans cartoon
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=19uz74OcGUM
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:sto_vo_kor_2000 wrote:FYI The teen titans cartoon of the early 2000's is not the original teen titans cartoon
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=19uz74OcGUM
Even then, the 2000's one is the one that debuted the current team, right? Now, let me look at the link... O god...
*shivers, twitches, then loses consciousnesses*
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:sto_vo_kor_2000 wrote:FYI The teen titans cartoon of the early 2000's is not the original teen titans cartoon
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=19uz74OcGUM
Even then, the 2000's one is the one that debuted the current team, right? Now, let me look at the link... O god...
*shivers, twitches, then loses consciousnesses*
Predaprince wrote:I am very thankful to have posters like sto_vo_kor_2000 who is so energetic about improving others' understanding and enjoyment of the TF universe
Stormrider wrote:You often add interesting insights to conversations that makes the fledglings think and challenges even the sharpest minds
T-Macksimus wrote:I consider you and editor to be amongst the most "scholarly" in terms of your knowledge, demeanor and general approach
Variety wrote:The DC Comics character actually predates the Hasbro character, having been introduced in the “Teen Titans” comic series in 1977. DC Comics and Warner Bros. revived the character in 2015, when they launched the DC Super Hero Girls franchise. At the time, Mattel began selling a Bumblebee action figure and a Lego set based on the character.
Hasbro introduced its Bumblebee in 1983, and obtained a trademark on the Bumblebee name in 2015.
-Kanrabat- wrote:That's some corporate shenanigans.
But one thing that I DO hope that will come out of this. A TF X-Over between Bumblebee and Bumblebee. Gimme a fembot with whings who can fly but also transform into a bug beetle!![]()
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-Kanrabat- wrote:That's some corporate shenanigans.
But one thing that I DO hope that will come out of this. A TF X-Over between Bumblebee and Bumblebee. Gimme a fembot with whings who can fly but also transform into a bug beetle!![]()
![]()
Prowl4 wrote:-Kanrabat- wrote:That's some corporate shenanigans.
But one thing that I DO hope that will come out of this. A TF X-Over between Bumblebee and Bumblebee. Gimme a fembot with whings who can fly but also transform into a bug beetle!![]()
![]()
........no.......
Predaprince wrote:I am very thankful to have posters like sto_vo_kor_2000 who is so energetic about improving others' understanding and enjoyment of the TF universe
Stormrider wrote:You often add interesting insights to conversations that makes the fledglings think and challenges even the sharpest minds
T-Macksimus wrote:I consider you and editor to be amongst the most "scholarly" in terms of your knowledge, demeanor and general approach
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