Hasbro Q&A session

[The Baron]

Well, that's paraphrasing quite a lot, Commando. I'm not wild about being misquoted in a public forum, especially regarding legal issues!

I would say that crazy is the word. The costs involved in doing it privately are insane.

[Red Laser]

I remember reading a few years back on Yojoe that the Red Shadows name and logo are owned by Hasbro in a back catalogue but not their likenesses through working with Hasbro Larry Hama knew of them but couldn't reconcile them into his GI Joe run because of the Cobra conversion. So Brandon Jerwa then writer of GI Joe for DDP wanted a new enemy and saw the Shadows and that they weren't in use so set about creating his own characters but with the same name and logo as he wanted a brand new unknown element . Wilder Vaughn came about because he actually liked the look of Baron Ironblood but not his uniform so took the basis of his face and created the new uniform.

[Red Laser]

well, there your getting into the murky world of tie in licenses and ownership.

see, when Marvel had the rights to GI Joe and Transformers, any characters they created automatically became copyright to Hasbro. for example; Bongo the balloon bear or Professor Appell from Joe comics or The Mechanic in Transformers.

The same applied to Marvel UK. Hence why Death's Head's first appearance was in a one-page strip printed in Marvel UK comics other than Transformers. Once he was established as a Marvel UK owned character, Hasbro couldn't claim copyright on him when he did appear in Transformers. This is why they were then able to use the character in Doctor Who, Dragon's Claws and so forth.

So, the question now is, did DDP have a similar license agreement with Hasbro? The second question then is, did any of the actual Pallitoy characters appear in DDP's Joe comics? if they're all original like Wilder Vaughn, Dela Eden and Red Scream then Hasbro owns them, but won't own Red Wolf, Red Laser, Red Jackal, Black Major or Baron Ironblood. Hasbro may well own the Red Shadow name once more, because of its use in DDP.

such i have learned from discussions with tie-in writers elsewhere and from Comic Book Legends Revealed on comicbookresources.com

No Palitoy Red shadows were featured in GI Joe and America's Elite by DDP.

[DAMartin]

I remember reading a few years back on Yojoe that the Red Shadows name and logo are owned by Hasbro in a back catalogue but not their likenesses through working with Hasbro Larry Hama knew of them but couldn't reconcile them into his GI Joe run because of the Cobra conversion. So Brandon Jerwa then writer of GI Joe for DDP wanted a new enemy and saw the Shadows and that they weren't in use so set about creating his own characters but with the same name and logo as he wanted a brand new unknown element . Wilder Vaughn came about because he actually liked the look of Baron Ironblood but not his uniform so took the basis of his face and created the new uniform.

Well, that means that, even though Hasbro can't release , , , etc, they can make some figures based on their DDP likenesses. It's not the same thing, but it's something...

[Sundance]

yeah, i was typing when Baron was.

the thing is, copyright, trademark and IP law can be very complicated. Hasbro bought the rights to use the Pallitoy names, but if they don't use the trademarks, they can lapse. hence why names on Transformers and Joe characters have changed: trademarks expired.

it's also why you get things like 'Sgt. Stalker' or 'Captain Ace' or 'Autobot Jazz' these days, copyrighting the names.

anyone can make an action figure called 'Stalker', but if it's a black guy in a beret who's a ranger, prepared to get your ass sued.

[Dave Tree]

yeah, i was typing when Baron was.

the thing is, copyright, trademark and IP law can be very complicated. Hasbro bought the rights to use the Pallitoy names, but if they don't use the trademarks, they can lapse. hence why names on Transformers and Joe characters have changed: trademarks expired.

it's also why you get things like 'Sgt. Stalker' or 'Captain Ace' or 'Autobot Jazz' these days, copyrighting the names.

anyone can make an action figure called 'Stalker', but if it's a black guy in a beret who's a ranger, prepared to get your ass sued.

Names are one thing, but the nature of what we are talking about concerns Design Rights in bringinig back the line and they do not expire.

[DAMartin]

Then you mean Hasbro should release, for example, just as a new incarnation of ? That would get us a new figure, but it wouldn't raise interest in more Palitoy-era charas.

[The Baron]

I think the only angle really worth pursuing is the Red Shadows. Judging by the number of customs there is also interest in SAS but nowhere near the same degree.

[DAMartin]

Well, then we can hope, if not for or , for Vaughn, Dela and some s, right?

[Space Commander]

I don't want to name names, but there was a small group of us who -as The Baron says- did a heck of a lot of research on this subject and began the process of securing the rights to certain elemnts from . As well intentioned as our efforts were, we were scuppered in the end...

...but there's always hope. I'm just saying don't get those hopes up too high.

I'll talk about this some more when the 21st Century Mini-Comics project is announced.

Take care, gang.


SPACE COMMANDER