Hasbro copyrighted the word "brony"

[BronyPony 575]

http://www.themarysue.com/hasbro-tries-for-brony-control/

 

According to blogger mandomommy (the mother of Andy “Mandopony” Stein, a musician known for his pony-themed songs) her recent interactions with Hasbro reveal the company may be putting legal constraints on one of its largest fan bases. Mandomommy says she attempted to upload a product from Zazzle with a “Brony” descriptive tag back in May, and received the following notice:

 

How the heck can Hasbro copyright content already copyrighted because of its creation on 4chan? Isn't that copyright infringement?

 

I posted this here because it is pony related and I haven't seen it yet. I might just be blind. 

 

Turns out I am blind.   http://mlpforums.com/blog/1639/entry-12033-the-conspirator-issue-1-hasbro-copyrights-brony/

 

But, what is your opinion on the issue? I think it is fascinating how the copyright system works.

Edited June 20, 2014 by BronyPony

[long gone 8,929]

Blocked on one site (but ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE ELSE) = copyrighted.

 

Do you guys see the logic in this?

[ChipsAhoyMcCoy 127]

I dont care if Hasbro copyrights the word Brony i really dont.

[Duster Dawnhorse 248]

It's not specifically saying it's a copyright issue with the word "brony." It's a really roundabout way of claiming copyright infringement on My Little Pony (since brony is commonly tagged with fan pony stuff.)

 

People have been avoiding using pony names or pony tags for this exact reason. The best example I can think of is the adult Halloween costumes that were called things like "shy pegasus" and "fashion unicorn." We all know they mean Fluttershy and Rarity, but they're not using trademarked/copyrighted names so they can't be smacked by Hasbro lawyers.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

No, hasbro does not yet own the rights to the word brony. The website blocked it due to other merchandise that was tagged with the word containing copywrited media, as often merchandise internet tagged with the term brony often includes copywrited media and images, so the website just pulled the plug on most items using the tag brony in order to save face. Hasbro does not yet own specific rights to the word brony.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Miaq_The_Truthful

[long gone 8,929]

No, hasbro does not yet own the rights to the word brony. The website blocked it due to other merchandise that was tagged with the word containing copywrited media, as often merchandise internet tagged with the term brony often includes copywrited media and images, so the website just pulled the plug on most items using the tag brony in order to save face. Hasbro does not yet own specific rights to the word brony.

On this, look at Hasbro's official trademarks and copyrights page. "Brony" does not show up on it.

 

The Mary Sue's article is a gross overreaction to the situation.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Blocked on one site (but ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE ELSE) = copyrighted.

 

Do you guys see the logic in this?

Exactly  I mean, just on one site isn't anything to break the barrier over, dude - there's also Redbubble and WeLoveFine for pony merch, and both of those have been easier on the wallet with a huge selection and good quality or of unparalleled quality and great shipping rates. There's other places besides Zazzle to buy MLP Merch

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Exactly  I mean, just on one site isn't anything to break the barrier over, dude - there's also Redbubble and WeLoveFine for pony merch, and both of those have been easier on the wallet with a huge selection and good quality or of unparalleled quality and great shipping rates. There's other places besides Zazzle to buy MLP Merch

The issue isn't that Zazzle may or may not be a subpar retailer compared to other online stores, but it is reports like mandmommy's claiming that a company owns a copywrite to something they don't. Zazzle is just going into damage control mode after getting copywrite claims from hasbro, saw that most items tagged with brony tended to have copywrited materials on them, and just threw the hot potato back at hasbro to try to prevent loss of revenue.

[Arctic Night 884]

I don't understand why people are only just now noticing something that happened awhile ago.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Star Stripe

[Pinkamena-Pills 6,839]

I don't understand why people are only just now noticing something that happened awhile ago.

Yea,i remember this Zazzle stuff from awhile ago. 

 

But ya Hasbro doesn't own the word brony.

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Yea,i remember this Zazzle stuff from awhile ago. 

 

But ya Hasbro doesn't own the word brony.

There was a thread (link to it in the op!) were it was discussed already. It just seems that op and a few others just now found out.

[TheDarkMysteryMan 670]

I don't..why would they want this? All for a simple word? Seems a little overreacting if you ask me.

[Simon 4,557]

You don't have a copyright for a word, it would be a trademark if anything.  Either way, I ran a trademark and copyright search and there aren't any registrations or applications having to do with brony or bronies in either.  The only trademark that came up in my search was for the Brony Thank You Fund, and the only copyright was for the Brony documentary.

 

The claim Hasbro is making on Zazzle isn't regarding the word, it's regarding the overall use of making MLP-inspired merchandise and selling it for profit on a site that doesn't have any licensing agreements.  Honestly, I'm surprised Hasbro hasn't shut down the non-licensed websites selling shirts a long time ago...

The thing you have to remember is that unlike a lot of other fan-made artwork and merchandise, selling t-shirts on sites like Zazzle and Redbubble who don't have licensing agreements with Hasbro directly cuts into their revenue from sites that do have licensing agreements like We Love Fine, so of course eventually they're going to try and shut down some of the t-shirt sales.

 

Anyway it's not really a big deal... there's plenty of sites to buy shirts from that are legitimate, and unlike a lot of other people, I actually want Hasbro to make lots of money on MLP, so that they see the franchise as profitable and keep MLP on the air longer, so if Zazzle is cutting into their profits, I have no issue with them shutting those artists down.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Simon