Hasbro want to reclaim "Bumblebee" trademark | UPDATE: Looks like they won't succeed

[Nevermore]

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?r...entry=76634431

As originally reported by Monzo at the Allspark.

[EDIT 07/20/2005] Looks like trouble's ahead (scroll down for a summary)

Link:
http://forums.transfandom.com/invboa...howtopic=30197

[EDIT 08/09/2005] Seibertron rumor mill strikes again

http://www.seibertron.com/sludgereport/view.php?id=5539
 

[Cyberman]

Well, why not?
It´s not the best of names, but it´s a traditional name. I´d rather they´d reclaim names as "Ravage", though...
 

[Denyer]

Ravage is probably too popular a name for whoever owns it.

Bumblebee? Expect a yellow kid-friendly character in the new movie.
 

[Nevermore]

Ravage falls under the "generic" category, i.e. they can't trademark it as a standalone term, similar to "Jazz", "Tracks", "Hound" etc.
 

[Roadstripe]

Well, why not? Among fans, the name 'Bumblebee' would almost be a literal goldbug...er, gold mine.
 

[Civ]

Originally posted by Nevermore
Ravage falls under the "generic" category, i.e. they can't trademark it as a standalone term, similar to "Jazz", "Tracks", "Hound" etc.

Then why doesn't the name "Bumblebee" also fall into this generic category as well? I mean it's not like a name such as Optimus Prime or Omega Supreme where somebody had to completely make it up. Jazz refers to music, Hound refers to a dog, Ravage can also be a verb (or something like that), and Tracks referring to...I dunno...train tracks maybe. So why doesn't "Bumblebee" fall into that category either since it can also refer to an insect?
 

[Nevermore]

IANAL.
Walky, Monzo or DustBuster are the experts. I merely paid attention to what they said about this matter so far.

Once again: Trademark is a tricky field. There is no "A + B = C". Unless you're a lawyer who has spent hours of researching into this stuff, chances of a tiny fanboy posting at an internet message board of completely understanding the mechanisms behind trademark law are nil. :\
 

not o pick a fight, but are you saying fanboys are uneducated, or that we merely can't graps concepts beyond "this character is the wrong color/name/has so-and-so's head?
~Colter92
 

[Grimlock2983]

I think what Nevermore's saying is that copyright laws are confusing and difficult to understand even for those who have studied them for years (like copyright lawyers). Most people here probably do not fall into that category, even if we're educated, we're not educated in the field of copyright laws, so take anything said by someone who isn't an expert as suspect.
 

Yeah i know, it was just the way it was worded.
~Colter92
 

[Nevermore]

Originally posted by Grimlock2983
I think what Nevermore's saying is that copyright laws

*cough* trademark *cough*

You can't "copyright" a name. If you could, anyone copying (i.e. writing) or "performing" (i.e. speaking out loud) that name would commit copyright infringement, which would be highly delicate.

You copyright the content of works. You trademark names meant to describe and advertise these works.
 

[Thefallenone]

the best thing i have heard all week!
 

They want to reclaim the name, or they want to produce the Mini Cooper robot (that actually is a sort of custom work)? .... I suspect they are working on something like this

off topic: i saw a giant sized version of the Armada Star Saber, in a non-official TF Package (horrible paintjob) .... someone interested?
 

[Nevermore]

Looks like trouble's ahead...

According to this thread at Transfandom, both a company named Bumble Bee Productions, Inc. and an online retailer named Bumblebee Toys have challenged Hasbro's attempt to reclaim the "Bumblebee" trademark because they believe it's "confusingly similar" to their already existing trademarks.

Might mean Hasbro won't be able to reclaim the trademark.

Thanks to Transfandom for the heads-up.
 

[Darth Zax]

Originally posted by Nevermore
Looks like trouble's ahead...

According to this thread at Transfandom, both a company named Bumble Bee Productions, Inc. and an online retailer named Bumblebee Toys have challenged Hasbro's attempt to reclaim the "Bumblebee" trademark because they believe it's "confusingly similar" to their already existing trademarks.

Might mean Hasbro won't be able to reclaim the trademark.

Thanks to Transfandom for the heads-up.

but were those trademarks before transformers?
or isn't it: "the first one can keep it"?
 

[Darth Shrapnel]

Originally posted by Darth Zax
isn't it: "the first one can keep it"?

No, you have to keep using it in order to keep the name, hence why Hasbro uses names like "Optimus Prime", "Megatron", "Starscream", and "Prowl", among others, to keep the trademark. Though I believe that the first two are theirs.
 

[phoenixliger]

DC comics has a character named bumble bee seen on teen titans. Any way why should these companies even care Id say that there really after is money. Hey I could be wrong and they just want to be jerks.
 

[Darth Zax]

Originally posted by Darth Shrapnel
No, you have to keep using it in order to keep the name, hence why Hasbro uses names like "Optimus Prime", "Megatron", "Starscream", and "Prowl", among others, to keep the trademark. Though I believe that the first two are theirs.

prowl isn't because that is a normal word (on the prowl, prowling)
 

[Nevermore]

Originally posted by Darth Shrapnel
No, you have to keep using it in order to keep the name, hence why Hasbro uses names like "Optimus Prime", "Megatron", "Starscream", and "Prowl", among others, to keep the trademark. Though I believe that the first two are theirs.

Optimus Prime has an ® behind his name, which means the name is "registered" (i.e. Hasbro actually "own" the name until further notice). Same for Grimlock®, BTW.

Megatron, I believe there was some trouble a few years ago with another company trying (but failing) to claim the name, so Hasbro has to wait a little longer before constant use of the name grants them the desired ®.

Cybertron Megatron is still just Megatron™.

Starscream, however, is ®.

Originally posted by Darth Zax
prowl isn't because that is a normal word (on the prowl, prowling)

Which might be the reason why Hasbro are reusing it so often. The name might actually be quite tough to defend, hence they don't dare risking to lose it to begin with.

On second thought, no. Energon Prowl has an ® after his name, oddly enough.
 

[Zisteau]

Originally posted by Nevermore

On second thought, no. Energon Prowl has an ® after his name, oddly enough.

But does that refer to "Energon Prowl" as a whole, or just Prowl?