Harmony Gold files lawsuit over SDCC Jetfire

[Quickstrike]

Harmony Gold are seriously the worst.

Harmony Gold own the rights to the Macross designs in the U.S.;

I'm pretty sure they don't, actually. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I've heard of Harmony Gold, usually in relation to anger and the total lack of Robotech joy.

They sound like twats.

However it just seems odd that the toy got to the point of being produced in the first place. I think someone at Hasbro legal was asleep at the wheel.

[Raptormesh]

(post removed for being a bit too graphic and derogatory)

[Slag]

ummm.... i'm never going to a park again...

[Magnus]

From just reading the posts on Seibertron's news article, I get the impression that the simplest solution would be for Hasbro to settle out of court.

I wish Tak/Tom would just do a Masterpiece Jetfire.

From a legal/intellectual property point of view, what's stopping Hasbro/TakaraTomy from making a new version of Skyfire? That design was created specifically to avoid resemblance to the Valkyrie.

[GoktimusPrime]

Renaming him Skyfire and modifying his appearance in the cartoon was Hasbro's way of getting a big transforming white jet with red thrusters promoted to the masses without the legal hassles.

That's never been confirmed. It's not really known why Sunbow decided to call Jetfire "Skyfire" in the G1 cartoon. Changing the character design alone was enough to evade legal issues with Harmony Gold -- they don't own the rights to the Jetfire name, only to the VF-1S Valkyrie design.
re: "Why Skyfire?"

I've never heard of these guys before. I wonder why they never sued Hasbro over Classics Jetfire. Seems to me like if they have a problem with a GI Joe toy with a back pack in it they should have had a problem with Classics Jetfire also.

Because Classics Jetfire is not a Valkyrie VF-1S. HasTak very carefully (and cleverly) designed it as an hybrid between a VF-1S and the G1 cartoon/comic design of Jetfire/Skyfire. It bears a vague resemblance to those designs, but doesn't actually look like either one.

From a legal/intellectual property point of view, what's stopping Hasbro/TakaraTomy from making a new version of Skyfire? That design was created specifically to avoid resemblance to the Valkyrie.

I believe that was Jetfire_in_the_sky's point. Masterpiece is all about engineering G1 Transformers to look more like the cartoon, so an MP Skyfire (Jetfire was only ever called "Skyfire" in Japan) would definitely be based on the cartoon model, and not at all about emulating the toy.

[drifand]

Harmony Gold are seriously the worst.



I'm pretty sure they don't, actually. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Ur they do. They won the law suit against Macross Japan. This is why they are so bold to move against Hasbro.

But they also lost in Japan meaning they can't sell Harmony gold products in Japan.

I believe the Japanese felt they were being "played" and thus from now on Harmony Gold got jack shit, None of Macross 7 and all the frontier stuff.

On the note Hasbro and Takara work hand in hand so there isn't too much of these type of misunderstanding.
Because of Harmony gold's act, they ONLY can create stuff from the rights they got so in the end they are losers.

Reminds me of Samsung and Apple but both of them know they will loose business if they keep on suing each other.

Winners are the lawyers.

[drifand]

I believe that was Jetfire_in_the_sky's point. Masterpiece is all about engineering G1 Transformers to look more like the cartoon, so an MP Skyfire (Jetfire was only ever called "Skyfire" in Japan) would definitely be based on the cartoon model, and not at all about emulating the toy.[/QUOTE]

This would be +1 for me, I was totally confused when I first saw Jetfire as VF-1S Super Valk. And I really prefer this to be changed to the Jetfire/Skyfire
I know.

[Lord_Zed]

If Harmony Gold can do this then FFS Hasbro and TakaraTomy need to get off their arses and do the same to every third party Transformer rip off and knockoff.

But unlike Hasbro and Taktomy, lawsuits are harmony Gold's primary source of income.

[drifand]

pretty much because HArmony Gold had pissed the Japanese off to not give them anything else on their plate. So they have became a old rusty iron rod.
That law suit basically killed them of any new potential robotech stuff such as Macross Plus etc...

Hasbro and Takaras right move should be pull off the toy and redo to the correct jetfire. I know, is a lost but what can you do with such pricks?