Hasbro is just mad because, for whatever reason, they cannot compete with 3rd parties...Its pains them...that they know they couldnt get away with selling a combiner for 600$...

 

It really seems like you're playing devil's advocate in this thread just to raise hackles.

 

I beleive what you're thinking about is when an author or artist passes, the copyright exires and passes into public domain. For recordings, it used to be 95 years after the original recording; It's now 70 years after the death of the artist or author for both books and music recordings. Copyright expiration law for literature has changed many times in the last 100 years, however the current law is expected to remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.

 

I guess it could look like that. I'm just trying to find others opinions (and possible facts) on how IP law works in regards to Hasbro's enforcement, including which situations could possibly be exempt from enforcement. Not to say I'm looking for loopholes to design my own third party items, I just enjoy learning about the complexities.

 

Didn't they announce DOTM Soundwave, Que, and Leadfoot? First Edition Prime and Bulkhead? I think the word you are looking for is delivers.

Hasbro can announce all they want, but if their marketers are still unable to persuade the retailers to buy the lines, and still unable to explain assortments in such a way that we don't get an overload of Wave 1, rare Waves 2 and 3, and cancellations of Waves 4 and 5...well, how many times does it take before we stop blaming the retailers and start asking Hasbro what they're going to do about the situation? (They can blame the retailers all they want. It doesn't change the fact that if the retailers have changed the way they do business, Hasbro needs to change too.)

 

For Raiden Hasbro has just had him represented in the Headmaster DVDs so they may have a legitimate claim of Raiden being part of their IP.

 

Wouldn't that depend on if the Headmasters DVD license was signed to them through Hasbro or Takara? Also, does IP protection start based on the date of the show, or the date of the DVD release?

 

Well said and agreed. I hope to have my faith restored...right now, my feeling about the way Hasbro is handling the brand is shakey at best.

 

Yup, that's exactly it. Plus they always got picked last in gym and couldn't get a date for the prom, so they had to go solo. When they got there, some jerk dumped a bucket of red paint on them and that's when they decided - "NO THIRD PARTY TOYS!!!"

at least that's what I heard.

 

It'd be nice if they just limited it to fully transforming 3rd party figures & not add ons like City Commander, Shadow Commander, etc.. One of these online retailers should just rent a room or 2 in the Hyatt for 2 days to strictly sell 3rd party & KO stuff out of. They'd get a fat chunk of my money, and I'm sure other's as well.

"psst... Say man... You looking to get some illegal plastic crack?"
"yeah, I'm a fiend, you got the goods?"
"fa sho man, 12th floor, room 7. I'll have your fix there."

 

  - you know I've always wondered if Hasbro felt a slighted because a good deal of buyers, especially collectors, did NOT like movie line toys...?

I agree. Has/Tak is missing out on an opportunity to make even more money - and that baffles me.......

 

Since (to my knowledge) there have been no court cases completed regarding any of these matters, from a legal standpoint what does and what does not constitute infringement is a completely subjective distinction, depending on the observer's perception. Since most of the manufacturers are Chinese corporations without American divisions my assumption would be that Hasbro would have to take them to court in China in order to get a C & D against the manufacturer.

There are obviously other recourses for Hasbro to attempt to keep off sale, such as leaning on their subcontractors and accounts. That's what's going on here.

This pronouncement pretty much says, "At Botcon we'll confiscate whatever we feel like based on our judgement, and by vending at Botcon you agree that we can do that."

Just another day at the office for a huge multinational corporation trying to gain a competitive advantage in taking our money*. I don't get why this is meritorious of unpaid cheerleading.

(It's also strange that there isn't a movement within the fandom to boycott WalMart in order to actually improve Hasbro's business environment, since many of their difficulties are caused by having terms dictated to them by big box retailers, of which WalMart is the biggest.)

*This is neither good nor bad. It is what it is; I wish a larger percentage of the fandom would brush up on their Machiavelli before they dive into the ethical consideration of business practices.

 

well isnt this garbage.

 

Yeah, that's it. I didn't know the specifics, but I knew the generalities. Now we just need to find out the specifics of this matter with IP law. What is the time limit to "public domain" ( or whatever it's equivalent is called ), and at what point does that clock start ticking? Is it from the first offense that isn't protested? Or from the last time the character was used in any media? If the latter, do DVD re-releases count to reset the clock, or would they still be tagged as the original production date? Would character reuses in new media ( such as comics ) reset the clock?

 

Fixed it for you.

(This is why so many corporations are hot to trot for the straight out of Orwell ACTA.)

There is no escape from politics, unfortunately.

 

Actually, that didn't fix it. We're trying to discuss ( and hopefully find out ) how Hasbro's IP law in states can be protected, and when, if ever, it would become public domain. Meaning, anyone ( anywhere ) could make a toy of that character. Since Hasbro is a US company, the US laws are more relevant than the Chinese laws.

 

^ THIS.

My collection last year was started up by interest in the Fansproject kits. After getting FP Superion... I started buying up all sorts of odds and ends until I found the FP Bruticus team. Also did a lot of store hunting for figures. Until the TFC Herc, my spending ratio was practically 1:1 regarding Has/Tak vs 3rd Party purchases.

 

Shout Factory's license is through both Takara and Hasbro.

 

They can talk to Disney regarding IP Protection. Seriously, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon was supposed to have been Public Domain for a while now... but they managed to keep it. Not only that, there's more discussion regarding extending Copyright claims for almost 150 years! Really, it's quite obscene how copyrights can be held for far longer than a creator's lifetime.

 

Then how else do you propose that Hasbro stop the Chinese manufacturers from manufacturing things in China?

Hasbro is a multinational corporation, and they'd pretty much have to take legal action against third-party makers in their country of origin.

(Hasbro could make a case for infringement and then attempt to get shipments intercepted at U.S. customs, but that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. Otherwise, whether American IP law is being infringed is academic unless it falls under a treaty, which is yet again another ball of wax, especially since many of the toy/character designs originated in Japan....)