I am confused, cause I always known him as Bluestreak and it was easier to say his name, but why did they changed to it Silverstreak? I mean is it the same character? It's abit weird to say his name as Silverstreak

Thanks

 

Trademark reasons.

 

correct

Hasbro could no longer use the name on a toy so they made a change.

 

I'm not sure of the fiction, but as far as the toy goes, this first prototype of Bluestreak was based on the blue Fairlady Z used in the Diaclone line. After production of Hasbros toy was produced in the silver variant the name Bluestreak was still used, as well as the pictures of the blue toy in catalogs and box art. During the reissue, the changed the name to Silverstreak.

 

How come? Doesn't the name Bluestreak belongs to Hasbro?

 

I'll take something from TFwiki:

Bluestreak (G1) - Transformers Wiki

 

Is it the same character?

 

Of course it might also make sense because almost nobody knows what a blue streak is anymore. Heck, few kids back then knew. Of course, the same could be said for Prowl (obsolete slang).

 

Yup.

 

They changed Prowl's name aswell?

 

Cant say about right now, but when they were doing the TRU G1 reissues a few years back they didnt have the rights to the name.

Just like they cant use the name "HOT ROD" on a toy.

For the toys...yes.

If your talking about the IDW comics.....there is a possibility that they are 2 different characters.

no

 

This is confusing, does Bluestreak really exist in IDW or is he replaced by Silverstreak?

 

Like I said....in the IDW comics there is a possibility that they are 2 different characters.

Early on the books used the name Bluestreak
Then they switched to Silverstreak

They even used just "Streak" a few times if I'm right.

The problem comes from a mini series they did featuring Bumblebee.

in the book the name "Silverstreak" is used.

But later in the book a character matching the colors of Bluestreak is seen.

This might be just a mistake,

but in IDW Bumvlebee and Goldbug are different characters, and Megatron and Galvatron are different characters.

not to mention that Cyclonus and Scourge are not updates on any one.

So, its possible that Bluestreak and Silverstreak are 2 different characters.

 

If Hasbro cant use the name anymore, who is using it?

 

I believe it was posted already....

Now, there are a good number of names Hasbro just cant use any more...some for these same reasons, some for other reasons.

Ever wonder why you see the pre-fix "Autobot" in front of the character named Ratchet in thr movie line toys or the Universe toys?

Thats because Hasbro cant use the name Ratchet on a toy by it self.

 

Though to be fair, his name is not exclusively a reference to the colour of his alt mode (especially since this alt mode was never, in practice, blue). It's both a reference to his tendency to talk incessantly, and the effect of his lightning gun.

"Prowl" is obsolete slang? I thought it was just, y'know... an actual word.  

zmog

 

They can, their lawyers just think they can't defend it in court because it's a too common word.

"Autobot Ratchet", "Autobot Jazz", those are names Hasbro can claim exclusive use of.

 

It's both a word and part of a slang term. Why name a cop car Prowl? While police are sometimes given a predatory connotation (especially on interstates from big cities to college towns after holiday/seasonal breaks are done where the passing students are like a herd of gazelle), it doesn't make sense initially. Turns out, "prowl car" was slang for a police car back around the '30s & '40s. Heard it in an old movie and an old radio program in quick succession.

Bluestreak & Prowl were both named after obsolete slang by 1980s standards for kids.

 

I dont see a distinction between "they cant use it" and "they dont because they cant defend it in court".

Bottom line, for legal reasons,they cant/dont use names like Ratchet,Tracks,Jazz with out useing some kind of add on because these are words that are heavily associated with other categories.

 

Eh, not really. They are words considered simply too generic or "everyday usage" to ever be copyright protected or trademarked by any one company. When modified with the words Autobot or Decepticon in front of them, Hasbro then has the power to own these names outright with absolutely no fear of infringement. And if that infringement ever happened, they have the power to sue since they control those names.

In the cases of names like Trailbreaker, Bluestreak, Octane, etc., those actually are words that have been trademarked by other companies, so Hasbro aren't able to just slap Autobot or Decepticon in front of them and call it a day. That's why those character names have since been rebranded as Trailblazer, Silverstreak, Tankor, etc... which Hasbro now DO own the trademarks to, thus preventing anyone else from using them on production goods.