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Transformers Toy Review Archive (older series, 1984 to date)

G1 Transformers trademarks and their current status with Hasbro

Written by Nevermore
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Introduction: Name reuses within the various Transformers toylines

Index by years

Alphabetical index

Part 1: Overview - copyrights, patents and trademarks

Part 2: Names Hasbro never lost (1)

Part 3: Names Hasbro never lost (2)

Part 4: Names Hasbro managed to get back (1)

Part 5: Names Hasbro managed to get back (2)

Part 6: Names Hasbro had to modify

Part 7: Names Hasbro had to find a substitute for

Part 8: Names of characters which were originally not released as toys

Part 2: Names Hasbro never lost thanks to (more or less) continuous use

[ Optimus Prime | Megatron | Starscream | Grimlock | Prowl | Soundwave | Snarl ]

Optimus Prime. The single most consistently used name. Following the release of the original toy in 1984, the toy remained on the market in several variations for the next two years. In 1988, Hasbro released the Powermaster toy, followed by the Action Master in 1990. After that came a considerable gap in releases of new "Optimus Prime" toys, although there was an "Original Autobot Leader" reissue of the original 1984 toy which was exclusively available in Europe in 1991, but since the toy wasn't released in the USA, it had no implications on the US trademark.
The next new "Optimus Prime" toy to be released by Hasbro in the USA was the Generation 2 re-release of the original 1984 toy in 1993, followed by the "Hero" version, "Laser" Optimus Prime and the G2 Go-Bot over the next two years. A redeco of the Generation 2 Hero toy was also planned and even made it to the sample packaging stage, but ultimately never came out. In addition, a redeco of the Generation 2 Auto Roller Dirtbag toy from 1995 was planned, with the name being featured as "General Optimus Prime®" in a catalog (thereby implying that the trademark claim was only for "Optimus Prime", with the prefix "General" being used as a purely descriptive term), but ultimately this toy didn't come out either (and unlike various other unreleased Generation 2 toys, "General" Optimus Prime apparently never even made it to the sample packaging stage).
After the end of Generation 2, Hasbro's subsidiary Kenner launched the Beast Wars line and replaced Optimus Prime with Optimus Primal. While being slightly different and thus a distinct trademark, it would have effectively still helped to preserve anything "confusingly similar". And even then, Kenner still found a way to use the "Optimus Prime" trademark itself, on the KB Toys exclusive Machine Wars redeco of the Turbomaster Thunder Clash toy from 1992 that had previously only been available in Europe.
After that came the biggest gap in releases of new Optimus Prime toys yet, although Kenner (and later Hasbro) still prevented competitors from trying to grab the name by releasing toys using the similar "Optimus Primal" trademark in the Beast Wars and Beast Machines lines during that time. Eventually, Hasbro started a whole era of new "Optimus Prime" toys with the release of the Robots in Disguise toy in 2001. After that, Hasbro used the name consistensly, with several new releases every year, starting with an RiD Spychanger and several "Heroes of Cybertron" PVCs in 2002, followed by countless Armada, Commemorative Series, Built to Rule, Universe, Energon, 20th Anniversary, Cybertron, Alternators, Titanium, Classics, Robot Heroes and live action Transformers Movie line toys.
Hasbro successfully registered the name "Optimus Prime" back in 1985, with the first toy to sport an ® after the name being the Powermaster toy from 1988.
Compound trademarks that included the name "Optimus Prime" were: "Powermaster Optimus Prime" (only the Commemorative Series II reissue; the Heroes of Cybertron PVCs used a considerably smaller font for "Powermaster", thereby distinguishing it from the "Optimus Prime" trademark); "Galaxy Force Optimus Prime" (only the Cybertron Leader Class redeco; the Legends of Cybertron redeco was simply "Optimus Prime"); "Robo-Vision Optimus Prime" (the Target exclusive redeco of the Voyager Class Optimus Prime toy from the live action Transformers Movie line); and "Nightwatch Optimus Prime" (the redeco of the Leader Class Optimus Prime toy from the live action Transformers Movie line).
Meanwhile, the Heroes of Cybertron PVC renditions of Powermaster Optimus Prime had featured the word "Powermaster" in a distinctively smaller font size than the name "Optimus Prime®" (unlike the Commemorative Series II reissue); the various "Powerlinx Optimus Prime" toys from the Armada and Energon lines all have "Powerlinx™" and "Optimus Prime®" as separate marks on the packaging (however, the instructions of the Armada Super-Base redeco screw this up by listing "Powerlinx Optimus Prime™" as a single trademark); the 3" Titanium "War Within Optimus Prime" figure featured the words "War Within" in a slightly smaller font than the "Optimus Prime®" trademark; the "Power Hook Optimus Prime" Fast Action Battler from the live action Transformers Movie line features the words "Power Hook" in an entirely different font than the trademark "Optimus Prime®"; and likewise, both the "Optimus Prime Voice Changer" helmet and the "Optimus Prime Battle Rig Blaster" role-play accessory from the live action Transformers Movie toyline only feature "Optimus Prime®" as a trademark, with "Voice Changer" and "Battle Rig Blaster" both using larger font sizes, yet being used as purely descriptive terms, with no trademark claim after them.

Megatron. Following the release of the original toy in 1984, which remained on the market in several variations for the next two years, came the largest gap in the release of new "Megatron" toys to date, with the first new toy using that name being the Action Master from 1990.
After that came the Generation 2 toy from 1993, followed by the G2 "Hero" toy and the G2 Go-Bot over the next two years. Redecos of the Generation 2 Hero toy and of the Generation 2 Dreadwing toy from 1994 were also planned and both even made it to the sample packaging stage, but ultimately never came out. Unlike "Optimus Prime", the name "Megatron" remained a mainstay during the Beast Wars and Beast Machines eras, with at least one new "Megatron" toy being available every year, including the KB Toys exclusive Machine Wars toy from 1997.
Following Beast Machines, the name "Megatron" was continuously used during the Robots in Disguise, Heroes of Cybertron, Armada, Built to Rule, Energon, Cybertron, Titanium, Beast Wars 10th Anniversary, Classics, Robot Heroes and live action Transformers Movie lines, with more "Megatron" toys being released each year.
Hasbro trademarked the name "Megatron" after the release of the original toy in 1984, with the first toy sporting a ™ after the name being the Action Master from 1990. Despite the continuous use since 1993, it still took Hasbro over twelve years to register the name. In 2001, Konami apparently tried to snatch away the "Megatron" trademark from Hasbro (for being used as part of their Yu-Gi-Oh! brand), but due to Hasbro being able to prove continuous use for years, Konami's takeover attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, so they decided to go with "Space Megatron" instead (which they ultimately didn't get either). Hasbro eventually managed to register the name in 2005, with the first toys to sport an ® after the name being the two 3" Titanium figures (the Beast Wars and Cybertron versions), the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Deluxe toy and the 6" Titanium figure from 2006, all of which were released around the same time, although the story summaries on the Cybertron Jungle Planet map had already featured an ® after the character's name, and likewise, the bio on the back of the Cybertron Leader Class Galvatron toy had referred to the character's previous incarnation as "Megatron®".
Compound trademarks that included the name "Megatron" were: "Megatron Megabolt", the KB Toys exclusive toy from the extended Robots in Disguise line; and "Darksyde Megatron", the "Timelines" toy that was exclusively available at BotCon 2006.
Meanwhile, the 3" Titanium "Beast Wars Megatron" figure featured "Beast Wars®" and "Megatron®" as two different marks, and in different font sizes on top of that.

Starscream. Following the release of the original Decepticon Plane toy in 1984, the first new toys to sport the name "Starscream" were the Pretender Classic toy and the Kmart exclusive "Legends" version without the Pretender shell, both released in 1989. Following that came the Action Master from 1990. After that, there was a considerable gap in releases of new "Starscream" toys, with the only new one in a long time being the Generation 2 re-release of the original 1984 toy in 1993. A redeco of the Generation 2 Smokescreen toy from 1994 that would have been available with a "Megatron" redeco of G2 Smokescreen's companion Dreadwing was planned and even made it to the sample packaging stage (referred to as "Starscream™" on the back of Megatron's packaging), but ultimately never came out. The gap continued for many more years, and only briefly paused with the release of the KB Toys exclusive Machine Wars redeco of the Predator Skyquake toy from 1992 that had previously only been available in Europe.
Hasbro would ultimately start to regularly use the name "Starscream" again in 2002, starting with a Heroes of Cybertron PVC and the Armada Max-Con. Following that came numerous Commemorative Series, Built to Rule, Energon, Cybertron, Titanium, Robot Heroes and live action Transformers Movie toys, with more toys sporting the "Starscream" trademark each year.
Hasbro trademarked the name "Starscream" after the release of the original toy in 1984, with the first toys sporting a ™ after the name being the Pretender Classics toys from 1989 and the Kmart exclusive "Legends" version. Hasbro eventually registered "Starscream" in 2003, with the first toy to sport an ® after the name being the wave 5 Heroes of Cybertron PVC from 2004 that included a crown (the description "with crown" was kept in a significantly smaller font size than the "Starscream®" trademark), although the instructions for the Energon Combat Class toy released in late 2003 already sported a ® after the name "Starscream" (both the packaging and the tech spec card still referred to him as "Starscream™", though).
The only compound trademark that included the name "Starscream" thus far was "Energon Starscream", the Combat Class Starscream redeco from the Energon toyline.
Meanwhile, the "Starscream Barrel Roll Blaster" role-play accessory from the live action Transformers Movie toyline only features "Starscream®" as a trademark, with "Barrel Roll Blaster" using a larger font size, yet being used as a purely descriptive term, with no trademark claim after it.

Grimlock. Following the release of the original Dinobot toy in 1985, the first new toys to sport the name "Grimlock" were the Pretender Classic toy and the Kmart exclusive "Legends" version without the Pretender shell, both released in 1989. Following that came the Action Master from 1990. After that, there was a considerable gap in releases of new "Grimlock" toys, although there was a "Classic Dinobots" reissue of the original 1985 toy which was exclusively available in Europe in 1991, but since the toy wasn't released in the USA, it had no implications on the US trademark.
The only new "Grimlock" toy to be released by Hasbro in the USA for a while was the Generation 2 re-release of the original 1985 toy in 1993, which was available in several color variants. The gap continued for many more years, and only briefly paused with the release of the Beast Wars toy in 1997, a redeco of the Beast Wars Deluxe Beast Dinobot toy.
Hasbro would eventually start to use the name "Grimlock" more frequently again in 2001, starting with a Robots in Disguise Deluxe toy (a member of the Construction Team that could merge to form Landfill). Following that came a Heroes of Cybertron PVC, a redeco of the Beast Wars Grimlock toy released as part of the Wal*Mart exclusive "Dinobots" sub-line (available as part of a two-pack with Terranotron aka "Swoop"), a redeco of the RiD Grimlock toy released as part of a Wal*Mart exclusive Landfill giftset, one half of the Energon "Mega Dinobot" toy (available as a two-pack with Swoop), the Alternators toy, a 3" Titanium figure, the Classics Deluxe toy and a Robot Heroes figure that was available as part of a two-pack with Shockwave. As a consequence, new "Grimlock" toys have been available at least every two years since 2001.
Hasbro trademarked the name "Grimlock" after the release of the original toy in 1985, with the first toys sporting a ™ after the name being the Pretender Classics toys from 1989 and the Kmart exclusive "Legends" version. Hasbro successfully registered "Grimlock" back in 1998, and yet, the first toy to sport an ® after the name was the Heroes of Cybertron PVC, even though Robots in Disguise Deluxe Grimlock was already referred to as "Grimlock®" in his instructions (both the packaging and the tech spec card still featured his name as "Grimlock™", however).

Prowl. Following the release of the original Autobot Car toy in 1984 came a large gap in the release of new "Prowl" toys, with the only new toy using that name in a long time being the Action Master from 1990, although there was a "Classic Heroes" reissue of the original 1984 toy which was exclusively available in Europe in 1990, but as the toy was not released in the USA, it had no implications on the US trademark.
Hasbro (and their subsidiary Kenner) would eventually start to use the name "Prowl" more frequently again in 1997, starting with one of the three components of the Beast Wars Ultra Beast Combiner Magnaboss (referred to as "Prowl™" on the back of the packaging of Magnaboss) and the KB Toys exclusive Machine Wars toy (which shared its mold with Machine Wars Mirage). Following that came the Beast Wars Deluxe Transmetal 2 toy from 1999, which was available in two different color variants.
In 2001, Hasbro finally started to put out new "Prowl" toys on a regular basis, starting with the Robots in Disguise Deluxe toy. Following that came, in addition to the "new style" redeco of the RiD Deluxe, a Commemorative Series reissue, an Armada Mini-Con (originally available as part of the Emergency Mini-Con Team) in various decos (one of them being available as part of the Universe Ultra Stockade & Magna Stampede two-pack), a KB Toys exclusive redeco of the Robots in Disguise Spychanger Prowl 2 in a "G1" Prowl deco (which was later also available at Dollar General and Family Dollar stores in "Universe" packaging), an Energon Deluxe (plus a Kmart exclusive redeco that was available as a two-pack with Checkpoint), a Wal*Mart exclusive Universe Spychanger (available as a two-pack with an Optimus Prime Spychanger, sporting a deco that was clearly based on the 1985 Red Alert toy), a Wal*Mart exclusive Universe redeco of the RiD Deluxe, a KB Toys exclusive Universe Micromaster Protectobot, a Sam's Club exclusive Energon redeco of Armada Red Alert (available as a two-pack with Starscream) and an Alternators toy that was available as part of two different assortments. A 6" Titanium figure is also planned, but hasn't been released yet.
Hasbro trademarked the name "Prowl" after the release of the original toy in 1984, with the first toy sporting a ™ after the name being the Action Master from 1990. Hasbro successfully registered "Prowl" back in 1998, a year after the release of the Beast Wars Magnaboss toy, with the first toy to sport an ® after the name being the Beast Wars Deluxe Transmetal 2 Prowl toy from 1999.
For a while, "Prowl" was Hasbro's standard name for any Transformer that had a police vehicle as its alternate form, although they have since introduced new names such as "Checkpoint" or Strongarm" in that context. The outright inflationary use of the name in the years between 2003 and 2005 (with no less than eight toys named "Prowl" in 2004 alone) caused the criticism of many fans. One theory is that Hasbro wanted to reuse the name as often as possible in order to firmly establish it as a Transformers trademark, thereby preventing it from ending up as an "everyday" term and Hasbro thereby being required to modify the name into "Autobot Prowl".
A compound trademark of sorts that included the name "Prowl", namely "Prowl 2", was used once on a Spychanger from the Robots in Disguise line (available as a two-pack with Side Swipe in 2001), and again on a "Tiny Tins" repackage of the Spychanger from 2003. The name was met with similar criticism among fans as the frequent use of the standard "Prowl" trademark would later be in 2004. In addition, the Playskool Go-Bots line featured a toy named "Prowl-Bot" that was available in 2002, which would also qualify as a modified trademark that includes the name "Prowl".

Soundwave. Following the release of the original toy in 1984 came a large gap in the release of new "Soundwave" toys, with the only new toy using that name in a long time being the Action Master from 1990.
After that came a Generation 2 Go-Bot (a redeco of Gearhead) that was available in 1995. A redeco of the Generation 2 Laser Cycle Road Pig toy from 1995 was also planned and even made it to the sample packaging stage, but ultimately never came out. Following that came a KB Toys exclusive Machine Wars toy (a redeco of the Predator Stalker toy from 1992 that had previously only been available in Europe) in 1997 and a Beast Wars Deluxe Mutant toy from 2000.
Hasbro would eventually start to use the name "Soundwave" more frequently again in 2003, starting with a Heroes of Cybertron PVC, followed by a redeco of the Machine Wars Soundwave toy released as part of the Universe line (available as a two-pack with Space Case), the Cybertron Voyager Class toy, a Legends of Cybertron version of the Voyager toy, a 6" Titanium figure, a Toys'R'Us exclusive Commemorative Edition reissue of the original 1984 toy, a re-release of the Legends of Cybertron toy (available as part of a Target exclusive four-pack with Megatron, Jetfire and Optimus Prime) and a Robot Heroes figure (abvailable as a two-Pack with Bumblebee). A 3" Titanium figure was also planned, but hasn't been released thus far.
Hasbro registered the name "Soundwave" in 1985, a year after the release of the original 1984 toy, with the first toy sporting an ® after the name being the Action Master from 1990. However, since the original registration for "Soundwave" only covered a very narrow field of possible uses (essentially limited to "cassette recorder" alternate modes), the Generation 2 Go-Bot from 1995 was simply referred to as "Soundwave™" on the packaging, and while the Machine Wars toy from 1997 was "Soundwave®" again, the Beast Wars Mutant toy from 2000 was "Soundwave™" on the packaging. Finally, Hasbro registered the name for a second time in 2001, this time with a broader definition for the possible uses, so essentially they have the name registered twice now. Starting with the Heroes of Cybertron PVC, new Soundwave toys would finally feature the ® consistently after the name.

Snarl. Following the release of the original Dinobot toy in 1985, Hasbro next used the name "Snarl" for a Blue Army Bomber Squad member from their Army Ants line, which was available in 1987, whereas the first new Transformers toy to use the name "Snarl" was the Action Master from 1990. Following that came the Generation 2 re-release of the original 1985 toy in 1993, which was available in several color variants, although there was a "Classic Dinobots" reissue of the original 1985 toy which was exclusively available in Europe in 1991, but as the toy was not released in the USA, it had no implications on the US trademark.
After that came the Beast Wars Basic Beast toy from 1997, followed by the Beast Machines Deluxe toy from 2000. In 2003, Hasbro would release two new "Snarl" toys, one of them being a redeco of the Beast Machines Deluxe Dinobot Striker toy that was released as part of the Wal*Mart exclusive "Dinobots" sub-line (available as part of a two-pack with Sludge), the other one being a redeco of the Beast Machines Snarl toy that was available as a mass retail Universe Deluxe. After that came the Cybertron Deluxe Class toy from 2006 (which was later also available as part of a Toys'R'Us exclusive "Super Value" three-pack with the Cybertron Deluxe Class toys Landmine and Dirt Boss in 2006) and a "Classics" Mini-Con that was available as part of the Predator Attack Team in 2007.
Hasbro trademarked the name "Snarl" after the release of the original toy in 1985, with the first toy sporting a ™ after the name being the Action Master from 1990. Hasbro successfully registered "Snarl" back in 1998, with the first toy to sport an ® after the name on the packaging and in the instructions being the Wal*Mart exclusive "Dinobots" toy from 2003 (although the tech spec card still featured the name as "Snarl™"), as the Beast Machines toy from 2000 had still featured the name as "Snarl™".

Introduction: Name reuses within the various Transformers toylines
Index by years
Alphabetical index
Part 1: Overview - copyrights, patents and trademarks
Part 3: Names Hasbro never lost (2)
Part 4: Names Hasbro managed to get back (1)
Part 5: Names Hasbro managed to get back (2)
Part 6: Names Hasbro had to modify
Part 7: Names Hasbro had to find a substitute for
Part 8: Names of characters which were originally not released as toys


 
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