Asus Sued by Hasbro for "Transformer Prime" Name

Tweet

It’s a lawsuit that everyone familiar with the Transformers toy, TV and film franchise probably saw coming. Hasbro has sued Asus for the use of the Transformer Prime brand in its upcoming flagship Android tablet.

When Asus decided on using “Transformer” to brand its first Android tablet with detachable keyboard, it was probably viewed as a lawsuit in the making. But while Hasbro (and other companies that might have a claim on the name) left them alone, that’s probably luck on their part. However, when Asus announced Transformer Prime to be their next tablet, Hasbro apparently thought that Asus has pushed it too far.

Hasbro, which owns the trademarks to the Transformers line of toys and media, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Asus in a federal district court last week. The filing cited Hasbro’s trademarks for Transformers, Trans Formers (logo image) and Transformers Prime. In an effort to “aggressively protect its brands,” Hasbro is pursuing a preliminary injunction against Asus, which has been given 21 days to respond to the complaint.

The trademark for Transformers Prime is particularly notable, although it is still in pending confirmation from the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office. Hasbro’s name ownership pertains to toys, board games and animated shows. While one might wonder whether it’s directly related to a tablet computer, Hasbro thinks that consumers considering a product purchase might think the Asus Transformer Prime were a licensed product, especially with the character Optimus Prime being one of the Michael Bay-directed film series’ main protagonists.

Did Asus intend to use both the “Transformers” and “Prime” name given the potential name recall value, especially among Transformers fans? Or is it only coincidence, given that Asus’ Android tablet does transform between a tablet and netbook? Other companies have taken liberty at using familiar names, such as Motorola’s use of DROID (licensed from LucasFilm), and LG’s use of Optimus in its smartphone product line, with mixed results. We’ll see how the issue pans out in the next few weeks.