tippy2k2 said:
Neverhoodian said:
From what I understand, this is a heavily modified version of a beta build that was released to the public prior to the C&D, essentially making this an unofficial "finished" version. As such, the cat's pretty much out of the bag. There really isn't much Hasbro can do at this point except try to shut down the links and maybe go after the uploader. Even if they try, they won't succeed taking it off the internet completely, not as long as people torrent the file.
I suspected something like this would happen. The game gained a rabid following during development, and the reaction to its cancellation was one of the biggest shitstorms I've ever seen in the brony fandom (and after witnessing dramas like Twilicorn and Equestria Girls, that says a lot). I couldn't get excited about it though, as I'm absolutely terrible at fighting games.
Well I hope it was worth it to the people who did it. Contrary to popular belief, you are never truly anonymous online and if Hasbro is willing to spend the time and money to figure it out (which Hasbro feels very Disney-like to me and will be very willing to), they're going to get themselves absolutely crushed. Just so that their little fan game can make a small cult following on pirate and torrent sites for the couple hundred people who really like MLP and really like fighting games and don't worry about downloading random things off the internet. And that's all assuming it's actually any good...
Hope it was worth it.
This is almost the opposite of true, while Hasbro certainly sends out C&D's and protects its IP, it isn't even close to the level that Disney it at, not just in intention, but in physical resources as well. Hasbro lets episodes of its HUB channel shows exist on Youtube for weeks at a time, and even after that only makes a small token effort to take any down, and only really even does it with MLP (the rest of the channels shows remain pretty much untouched).
Hasbro has also made zero effort to eliminate things that directly compete with their toy lines, unless the makers are obviously and visibly making a significant profit on it. E-bay is swarmed with fan made toys for sale, and in the multiple years they have been, Hasbro has only dished out C&Ds to the ones that were selling in high quantities for large sums of money (hundreds to thousands of dollars. The custom figurine market is one that Hasbro actively encourages, and has even showcased some of the better custom fan figurines, they even allow them to be sold, and only really lay the smackdown if someone tries to open a store and sell these things in bulk.
There was another site that sold 3d printed figurines for awhile, made to order. We're talking toys here, pretty much the clearest IP violation imaginable considering that it was in direct competition with Hasbro itself. The only thing Hasbro did was send a C&D, and they still allowed the site to ship its final orders to customers without challenge or repercussion.
Hell, they allowed this game to run in the public eye for almost 2 years, the takedown only came when the game was entered into potentially featuring in an international fighting game tournament, and would have likely made money and significant media attention. Even Hasbro's lawyers have stated that they really only go after projects that make money, or are organized enough to potentially be confused for official Hasbro products and merchandise.
So no, Hasbro is nothing like Disney, who have sicked their lawyers on Day cares with disney characters painted on their wall, and have one of the most comprehensive Youtube takedown systems of any large company out there. Hell, even amongst toy companies, Mattel has a more draconian track record as far as C&Ds and legal action goes (they are really protective of anything Barbie related). Hasbro has actually gotten media attention for how laid-back and laissez-faire their IP protection is, they are one of the more permissive large media companies out there, and they let their fans (not just bronies) get away with a lot more shit than most other large media companies. Yes, they still smack down stuff that gets too popular, or looks like its going to make money on their IP, but they aren't even in the same galaxy as Disney's almost paranoid Big Brother style protection of its intellectual properties.
