Apparently they aren`t finished with their investigation into the matter but here`s what they said.:

 

Hi Dennis,

 

Thank you for contacting Hasbro, Inc.

 

We are sorry to advise that the information you have requested is not readily available.

 

We are sharing your question with those internal parties who are more familiar with this piece of our business. We will respond to you, as soon as we receive the information from them.

 

We thank you, in advance, for your patience.

 

Sounds promising to me. What do you guys think?

*facepalm* Your kitbash is a derivative work from two companies properties. I applaud your creativity but give it a rest. :redface

no doubt

 

don't bite the hand that feeds you

*facepalm* Your kitbash is a derivative work from two companies properties. I applaud your creativity but give it a rest. :redface

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I wouldn't hold my breath on it either. Still an excellent piece you have created no doubt on that and koodos to your creativity but I really don't think there is a case there.

Hey just letting you guys know I heard back from them finally and letting you know what they said.

no doubt

 

don't bite the hand that feeds you

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I would think this is good advice here.  The Dodge Ram as an Alternator/Binaltech has been discussed for a long time, even before you made your custom plans known to the on-line community I believe (as reported by Nevermore, the rumor for a Dodge Ram Alternator/Binaltech seemed to originate around Feb. 2004). 

 

This is not to say who had the idea first.  I've had plenty of ideas I thought were really good only to see Hasbro make them later.  If Hasbro developed an idea that any one of us thought was good at one point and had no previous knowledge of it before conception, there is no copyright infringement involved.  Hasbro has also said (in a nutshell; I'm paraphrasing here) that they are certainly not relying on the on-line community or any other outside source other than their own in-house design department for the conceptualization of toy ideas.  Coming from a graphic design educational and semi-professional background, any ideas and all ideas are thrown out, analyized into the ground and decided upon for mass production.

 

I am just curious as to what you are actually trying to accomplish by contacting Hasbro.  I think someone already said that you wouldn't be dealing with one company but ultimately two (Hasbro and Dodge).  And even if your custom is an original creation, it is still a take on two copyrighted properties.  The Transformers brand and all characters are owned by Hasbro and the Dodge brand and their products are owned by Dodge/Chrysler. I seriously doubt a copyright lawsuit could stand ground given those facts.

 

Also, I think at one point you made mention of your desire to work for Hasbro.  I am asuming you would namely want to work on the Transformers brand.  While that could be a reality, odds are if you did get a job at Hasbro, they would be more apt to place you working on a brand other than TFs, or at least working on other brands in conjunction with TFs.  It would take more than one custom piece to "get in the door" at Hasbro; Hasbro would look for a diversified porfolio of work pertaining to the specialized field you were applying for (not necessarily the brand you wanted to work on). 

 

I can think of this in terms possibly working for Mattel:  (hypothetically) say someone was a huge He-man fan.  Well as cool (or not cool in some people's minds) He-man was/is, Mattel tried to rerelease the line with limited results.  The line is now canceled (or they are at most rethinking the property).  Now, if that person were a huge He-man fan and didn't want to work on any other project, he/she'd be up a creek.  Given this, he/she more than likely turn down a design job for Barbie toys, and maybe even Hot Wheels (given such strong convictions to the He-man line).  All that to say this:  a graphic designer designs not necessarily to pledge alliegiance to a brand, but to make a living creating art (this discussion could go on and on, but I tried to hit some main, general points).

 

Also, the "letter" you got back from Hasbro is standard of their general indifference.  I think many TFans have inquired with Hasbro in some form or fashion and have gotten a similar response.  To me (not to be pessimistic) it sounds like a put off.  I'm sure a company the size of Hasbro gets hit with this sort of thing on a regular basis.

 

I hope you don't take me as being pessimistic or trying to crush your dreams or anything (I tend to try to do the opposite).  It would probably be best to just say that you came up with an idea that Hasbro came up with too (making an Alternator out of the Ram), pat yourself on the back for your good work (your custom is good), and leave it at that  :tfgrin

you took the words right out of my mouth superquad

Also on that note, Even if they did make a figure close to yours, you couldn't sue them because you have no clame to the property in which the figure is based on.

It may be your creation and your design but that's where it ends.

Hasbro could make a million copies of your design and sell them and not have to pay you anything, because they own the brand, the name Rodimus, and they pay dodge to use the likeness.

But out of legality Hasbro wont use your design as superquad mentioned they would look to their own ppl before they ever look to the comunity.

you took the words right out of my mouth superquad

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You must have a pretty big mouth for all of those words.

Haha.  Well, Rodimus.. I, for one, think you at least showed a lot of initiative which is definitely one way to learn (though I'm not sure exactly what it was you said told them when you first contacted them).

 

I suspect though that Hasbro's ultimate response is guaranteed to be something along the lines of what others have predicted.  Hasbro's main business concern is that they won't have any infringement of anyone else's work, that they are following the law, and they are going to determine that they haven't because they haven't.  Hasbro has the character, the name, the license for the truck design of the alt mode from the manufacturer, their own transformation, the entire Transformers property, and an established history of doing business in all of those.  At the best, what you have is your specific transformation sequence itself.

 

You also have initiative and I think that's to be encouraged, but it might help to have some guidance as well as a more concrete goal as to what it is you want to do.