I mean. As long as they make their own takes on exclusives that won't get in the way with the Selects Series, then they could be fine.

 

Oh shit. This is actually a thing.

 

Hasbro, I have already put in for my vacation days this year. You are screwing up my schedule.

 

Oh frick.

 

It better not be Funpub again.

 

+1, but I highly doubt it is.

 

I kinda suspect the Facebook bit is just Pete trolling everyone because of the 'look Botcons page is up' hype...I will believe it when i see an announcement

 

Not sure if anyone has seen but botcon.com website also reflects the FB profile pic

 

BotCon started just before Beast Wars...

... History repeating?

 

The sad news is that Fun Pub still holds the Trademark on Botcon. So it's likely them returning to run it.

 

Barf

 

Also keep in mind. The last Botcon set retailed for $400. That was back when Deluxes were $10-$12. Deluxes are currently $20. If y'all hoping for cheaper exclusives this go around, hope in one hand and shit in the other. See which one fills up first.

 

Interesting is the current status of the Botcon trademark. Seems like an Examiner at the USPTO is not too fond of it:

http://ttabvue.uspto...e/v?qs=87958992

Basically, the current Examiner does not care that it has existed as a trademark for years, and now wants to undo it.

Also interesting, I don't see any record of the name being re-assigned from FunPub to Hasbro.

 

So basically if they don't demonstrate shortly that they plan to actually use the Trademark, the Patent and Trademark Office is going to invalidate their claim to continue to own it. Interesting.

 

So in other words all the social media stuff going on could just be funpubs Hail Mary to keep the trademark?

 

Nope, that's not the issue at all.

The examiner is arguing that the name Botcon is too descriptive to be used as a mark to designate a convention focused on robots.

To keep the mark, their best bet is to focus on the brand as identifying the exclusive figures/merch sold at the convention (not just the convention itself), while also arguing that the name should survive for the same reasons as Comic-Con.

*Disclaimer: Although I studied trademarks in law school, I have had very limited experience with them in practice. This is just speculation from a limited perspective.*

 

Filing date: June 12, 2018

WTF do they even need it for?

 

Well, if Hasbro wants it back badly enough that they’d be willing to pay for it, FunPub would want to own it in order to sell it back.

 

Hasbro didn't do so well the last time they tried to run their own convention. Could speak to the possibility they're farming it out again, even if it isn't to FunPub.

 

My guess is that FunPub and Hasbro know how much the fandom is attached to the name Botcon, and, through hard bargaining, FunPub is pricing things so that it is easier for Hasbro to farm out the convention to FunPub than to attempt to outright buy the name back.