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TRA BOT SHOTS ROM THE SPACE KNIGHT A2587
So, there are currently three trademarks Hasbro has applied for. The first is for comic books and was granted in April 2013. They've already used the first of their five possible extensions to use it in commerce (i.e. publish a ROM comic book). Extensions are required every six months if Hasbro doesn't have proof of use. Five extensions give them three years to do so.
The second trademark is for "toy action figures and toy robots convertible into other visual toy forms," which leads to the already existing rumor that Hasbro is going to make Rom part of the Transformers toy line. It, too, was granted in April 2013 and has had one extension filed against it.
The final trademark is for "entertainment services, namely an on-going animated television series for children." This one was only granted in June 2013 and, because I've gotten lazy, is new to me. It would seem to contradict Hasbro making Rom part of the Transformers, unless such a TV series would be a spin-off of Transformers: Prime or something. The first extension was just granted last month.
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.'
Bumblevivisector wrote:Awesome at first glance, but even if they secure ol' Toaster-Head himself, ROM was so thoroughly entangled in the Marvel Universe that just about anything tied to his mythos would be owned by Disney, right? Entertainment-wise, I'd see a lot more potential if Hasbro was licensing him out for them to use in movies, cartoons, comics, etc.
Then again, if they also establish their grip on Dire Wraiths, who can assume any form they encounter, even Cybertronians, that could produce one awesome arc where the Autobots learn that only Galador ever had the technology to detect Wraiths, and race to find ROM while not knowing if they've been infiltrated.
Those giant Deathwing birds could also go toe-to-toe with TFs without any real power-level-fudging, but if they were in the comics yet not mentioned on ROM's original box, it seems unlikely that they could wrest them from Marvel's grasp...unless MB asserted that anyone/-thing that debuted in ROM's title was their property like Hasbro did with the Transformers book. I'm basing that on the legal situation with Circuit Breaker debuting in Secret Wars II, but with ROM's title, Marvel kept a good comic going for years after its toyline died out of the starting gate, so it's just as likely that MB didn't care enough to assert ownership after the first two years or so.
But yeah, this guy's LONG overdue for an updated figure...unfortunately, the best Hasbro line to make that happen would probably be...Marvel Legends. Doh.
Or maybe Hasbro could start their own generic legends-esque line where they do figures of characters from toylines too old and dead to risk reviving unless they can drum up interest from collectors first?
I certainly hope that's the case, but when was the last time he showed up in a Marvel book? Just checked Wikipedia, and it seems he once appeared, unnamed, to skirt the loss of the trademark. Marvel also seemed comfortable saying "SpaceKnight", probably because that's generic enough. The 2000 SpaceKnights limited series with ROM and Brandy's children and some characters named after the original SpaceKnights almost seems problematic (haven't read it yet; I've only read up to about ROM's 3rd annual), but that's probably also ancient history to lawyers. They mentioned Dire Wraiths in the first season of the 'effing Super Hero Squad Show of all things (in fact, that's the only reason I forced myself to watch that whole season), so that had me thinking Marvel had plans for him.T-Macksimus wrote:If Hasbro got their hands on it then it means that Marvel let it lapse, and likely before they got picked up by Disney. That means he's Hasbro's beeotch now and more power to them. Anything they can snatch up before the House of Mouse gets it is cool with me, even if they are in bed with them as far as making figures for their various properties.
T-Macksimus wrote:Bumblevivisector wrote:Awesome at first glance, but even if they secure ol' Toaster-Head himself, ROM was so thoroughly entangled in the Marvel Universe that just about anything tied to his mythos would be owned by Disney, right? Entertainment-wise, I'd see a lot more potential if Hasbro was licensing him out for them to use in movies, cartoons, comics, etc.
Then again, if they also establish their grip on Dire Wraiths, who can assume any form they encounter, even Cybertronians, that could produce one awesome arc where the Autobots learn that only Galador ever had the technology to detect Wraiths, and race to find ROM while not knowing if they've been infiltrated.
Those giant Deathwing birds could also go toe-to-toe with TFs without any real power-level-fudging, but if they were in the comics yet not mentioned on ROM's original box, it seems unlikely that they could wrest them from Marvel's grasp...unless MB asserted that anyone/-thing that debuted in ROM's title was their property like Hasbro did with the Transformers book. I'm basing that on the legal situation with Circuit Breaker debuting in Secret Wars II, but with ROM's title, Marvel kept a good comic going for years after its toyline died out of the starting gate, so it's just as likely that MB didn't care enough to assert ownership after the first two years or so.
But yeah, this guy's LONG overdue for an updated figure...unfortunately, the best Hasbro line to make that happen would probably be...Marvel Legends. Doh.
Or maybe Hasbro could start their own generic legends-esque line where they do figures of characters from toylines too old and dead to risk reviving unless they can drum up interest from collectors first?
If Hasbro got their hands on it then it means that Marvel let it lapse, and likely before they got picked up by Disney. That means he's Hasbro's beeotch now and more power to them. Anything they can snatch up before the House of Mouse gets it is cool with me, even if they are in bed with them as far as making figures for their various properties.
I have to admit though that I never thought I would see or hear anything of ROM ever again outside of any of the various collectibles shops I frequent. It was a line that I never got into but did peruse a comic or two and remember the toys (vaguely) but that's all buried in the dusty recesses of my childhood.
And darn it Sabrblade... you beat me to the punch with the Knights of Cybertron line.![]()
It'll be cool if that's how they tie him in though. What a head trip that would be.
Jeep! wrote:Why do I imagine Dead Metal sounding exactly like Arnie?
Intah-wib-buls?
Blurrz wrote:10/10
Leave it to Dead Metal to have the word 'Pronz' in his signature.
Seibertron wrote:This seems silly if Hasbro is holding out on ROM. Here's a simple business solution ...
Hasbro should give Marvel the rights to ROM and Marvel should give Hasbro the rights to Death's Head or Circuit Breaker. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Win-win situation!
Jeep! wrote:Why do I imagine Dead Metal sounding exactly like Arnie?
Intah-wib-buls?
Blurrz wrote:10/10
Leave it to Dead Metal to have the word 'Pronz' in his signature.
Dead Metal wrote:Seibertron wrote:This seems silly if Hasbro is holding out on ROM. Here's a simple business solution ...
Hasbro should give Marvel the rights to ROM and Marvel should give Hasbro the rights to Death's Head or Circuit Breaker. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Win-win situation!
Good idea, well, except for the Death's Head bit, he's just as entangled in the Marvel Universe as ROM is.
Herm, maybe Hasbro having ROM is part of the reason why Marvel's been showing so much love to the Death's Heads lately.
Here's another neat little titbit about why ROM is awesome:
ROM + Judge Dredd = the original source material to RoboCop.
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