Hasbro getting sued! pony theme at risk?

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

What strikes me as weird, besides the five-year wait, is this:

It's on this Font Bros. webpage and was acknowledged as far back as 2012. Something's screwy.

In addition, the F and U on that page looks different from the F and U on the packaging here, and I'm sure other letters may differ. That, coupled with the timing and the extravagant demands the plaintiff is making, may hurt their case.

[Limeblossom 482]

No that's why the case was thrown out even though the music industry technically had grounds to sue. They asked for such a ridiculous amount that the judge threw the case out.

To be fair, I would do that too if I was the judge.

 

And that also goes for this case.

[Dolphanatic 298]

Whoa, whoa, WHOA.

Graphic design major speaking here - believe me, creating a good, well-functioning font takes A LOT of work and effort. It's not something anyone can do using MS Word. Designing fonts is not a piece of cake and it's definitely not "easy cash" either.

 

Would you use someone's vector art on the packaging of your product without paying them? Of course not. Consider the decorative fonts used in the logo an example of very complex vector art. 

 

The thing is, if Hasbro legitimately purchased the font from the website, then there's no way they could be violating copyright because they paid to use the font however they like. There's nothing on the website that says "This font can not be used for commercial purposes." Selling fonts is not unheard of, nor is it the issue here. It's the fact that a font is up for digital purchase, only for the buyer of said font to get sued when he or she uses it, because it's somehow a "copyright violation".

[PrincessFluff 6]

Gawd, it's a freaking font. Nothing more nothing less. Is it really such an affair for the Bros? Wow

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

why would the creator himself note that MLP used his font if it was stolen

 

http://haroldsfonts.com/portfolio/generation-b/

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20140328014950/http://haroldsfonts.com/portfolio/generation-b/

Edited January 26, 2016 by ooBrony

[SilyGeny 369]

Eh, they'll manage to get a license hopefully

[Leave a Whisper 703]

Sounds like a frivolous lawsuit to me. I mean it's been out for years and they just now noticed? Someone wants a piece of that very lucrative pie. I doubt it'll come to much.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Leave a Whisper

[PinkiePie97 913]

Yeah, this is a cash grab. This has been going on for over 5 years, and Font Bros. even acknowledged it in 2012 and did nothing then. If they cared more about Hasbro using their font than making money, they would not have waited this long.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

@@cuteycindyhoney, yes. You're right.  But I didn't say that copyrighting fonts doesn't exist. I said I think it's idiotic. 

It doesn't seem idiotic to me. If I created something, I would like some assurance that people wouldn't just take it for free.

[WindShear 532]

I would agree that if Hasbro actually stole the font they should have to pay something for it. Someone had to design, and make said font and they have the right to copyright it, and make people to use it if they wish.

 

That being said the amount of money they are asking for is absurd, and I would think the fact that they are bragging about how it is used in MLP on their website would hurt their case.

[Luigi 7,868]

Worst Lawsuit EVER!

 

Just because they're using a font is just one minor detail. Font Bros must really be a bunch of gold diggers.

[power strike 198]

this can be easy and simple if people dont argue about it.....just pay up and change the font logo....just plain and simple *ahem south park episode ahem*

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,314]

All Hasbro has to say is that it looks like a font similar to what they used, boom, done. 

 

Honestly, why are these guys getting so pissed off about them using a font? 150k per infringement? How stupidly arrogant can they get? Simple asking for that much makes me lose any respect for them right away and I hope they lose the case.

[Jaxsie (Inactive) 1,343]

Dark Qiviut called it. Something isn't right. It sounds to me that the font was created by the Font Brothers for MLP. Why now are they trying to sue? I honestly don't think there was any infringement on Hasbro's part. And it sounds to me that the Font Brothers are trying to make a quick cash grab. I highly doubt that they will win this case. And as a side note, the possibility of MLP being cancelled as a result of the lawsuit is infinitesimally small.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Jaxsie

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

 

 

Here's a link to the font in question. http://www.fontbros..../styles/regularYou can see the different licensing options available in the purchase options section.

 

From the purchase options:

 

 

An Impressions license is required when you wish to create and sell personalized products with this font. A single impression is used for each customer design you produce.

 

Now, "personalized" may be significant, or it may be a technicality. This is the only licensing option I could find that relates to selling physical merchandise, so for all I know it could be relevant, or it could be inexplicably relegated to some 20-something's Etsy shop or some shit.

 

That being said, this license is priced at a rate of $100 for 1000 products, or 10 cents a product. That's radically different from the $150,000 per product that they're demanding in their suit, even if you add in other uses.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

@@cuteycindyhoney,Yes, I remember your opinion about this from the thread about the C&D on JanAnimations. If it remains the same, I think I'd be wasting your time and mine talking about it with you. Not that I think that you're wrong, but we're done.

[@lpha 41]

With all the evidence against the font bros I've seen just by reading the posts in this topic I'd say there's no need to worry. It's just a bunch of needless drama that Hasbro will wave off because

1: Hasbro used the font for years before font bros said anything

2: the font bros acknowledged their font's use in the mlp logo in 2012 on their website (I think, at least, from what I've read here, I'm too lazy to go to the links)

 

Obvious cash grab that'll wind up biting font bros in the ***

 

(Yay my first text wall)

[EverEverOn 346]

https://web.archive.org/web/20160125212939/http://www.fontbros.com/families/generation-b/styles/regular

 

The Wayback Machine shows that just recently before they used Hasbro, this was up on the page for the Generation B font...

[cider float 2,536]

If Hasbro wins then their schedule will go accordingly. If they lose then the best we can get is season 6 delayed. Worst case scenario Hasbro has to end G4

Edited January 27, 2016 by cider float

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

@@cuteycindyhoney,Yes, I remember your opinion about this from the thread about the C&D on JanAnimations. If it remains the same, I think I'd be wasting your time and mine talking about it with you. Not that I think that you're wrong, but we're done.

Okay. I'm glad I didn't make people mad at me at least.

[Side Bird 565]

Hey if they have copyrights on so many fonts, do you think I can copyright the color green? All green things shall be mine.

 

Let the money roll in.

[cider float 2,536]

If Hasbro does lose maybe they can sue certain fanworks to make up for lost revenue.

 

 

I kid I kid...

 

I just found the font they used.

 

http://www.fontbros.com/families/generation-b/styles/regular

 

It's only $19.95.... they couldn't have just paid that huh...

Edited January 27, 2016 by cider float

[Shanks 10,811]

With all the evidence against the font bros I've seen just by reading the posts in this topic I'd say there's no need to worry. 

Actually there is need to worry not because Hasbro is in any danger but because of the free speech and other consequences to fascist copyright laws like this. I am much more worried about your average person who can't defend themselves facing down a lawsuit from a greedy corporation than a company suing another company because they are getting greedy and want to cash in on their success. Hasbro has the advantage here due to being the larger company as well as Greedy Brothers uh I mean Font Brothers making some ridiculous claims. It is about the precedent, the fact that anything even close to this could see a courtroom at all should scare the hell out of everyone even people who don't like MLP or bronies. I know I have said this a million times here, but I still can't believe that font can be copyrighted, I mean fraggin' font?

 

 

Let the money roll in.

Until another company comes in an sues you because they claim to have already copyrighted a certain shade of green, but on the plus side you might be able to sue the treasury department or the Federal Reserve because money is greenish. The courts will likely have an interesting debate over what shade of green constitutes "fair use" by who and when.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Shanks

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I think I speak for all reasonable people when I say that this is f****** ridiculous.

[Grtxkkyz 387]

This whole lawsuit sure is ridiculous. The fonts do look alike, but they're not the same thing. The possibility of something like this dealing a major blow to a giant like Hasbro is pretty unlikely.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Dino-Mario