Hasbro getting tough on prototypes on fan sites - Hasbro response page 7

[sweetstuff]

I can't say I blame Hasbro for "cracking down" on this stuff. Let's face, as cool and interesting as these prototypes are  - Hasbro isn't getting a dime off these, and these products are their creative property.

Not that I'm trying to get anyone riled up - but in reality the Toaboa stuff and China ebay stuff are really stolen goods.

I feel bad for that guy, as he wasn't the one selling them and getting all the heat from the lawyers

[Vintergatan]

heh, if Hasbro doesn't want their toys getting all over the place because they can't control the workers in, say, China, and if they don't have any legal means to prosecute pages like Taobao...erm, how about they move their production into a country with legal systems that suit them better and where they can avoid all this?
Oooh, right! then they'd actually have to pay their workers more than a few cents per hour :S

So yeah, the way I see it, it's their problem these things are happening and they have absolutely no right to behave this way towards their customers, this is pretty outrageous.

[Opalescence]

Well, if they can track the leaked goods back to Taobao, maybe the can stop the leakage by posting more armed guards in the chinese sweatshops.

[Lon-san]

I don't think comming down hard on Taobao will totally stop their leakage problems. Someone will still manage to smuggle a couple out, they just won't use Taobao to sell them and will be able to ask more for them. 'Cause, hey, $200 for a Pony when there's 24ish, imagine how much you could get if there were only TWO. The Taobao sellers themselves only sold them for $15ish but if they felt it was a higher risk, they would ask a lot more.



Of course, it's still their right to crack down on sellers. It IS their stuff, after all. But I think they should also examine WHY people use Taobao.

1. They want it NOW: Okay, can't do anything about that. The stuff gets released when it gets released.

2. Panic: "What if if doesn't get sold here?" "What if it doesn't get sold at all??" Nothing can be done about the products that they opt not to produce.This would include Minty:( (Though I REALLY think they need to reconsider. She'd fill some gaps in the line and could be very popular)

As far as what they DO make, they need to get them out to more places. I don't mean putting them in stores that don't order them (What they do?), I mean making more of the products available to the places do. People who WOULD buy them legit are going "Eh, whatever. They probably won't sell that set here, anyway. I can buy only the parts I want from Taobao AND get it faster."

If you can't arrange a trade or a good deal, ponies that are exclusive to a certain area can have you paying trumped up prices or doing without. Buy Pony X off Taobao or wait untill she hits stores, but only in Country Y with her price tripled on the internet? The former doesn't make Hasbro any money. The latter makes Hasbro money but not as much as they could be making.

3. Taobao is a good indicator of what's comming. Example? That brushable Luna. Unless you don't like her, you can buy whatever set she's in instead of making one from a Cadence. And knowing she's comming could help with the "What if there's never another young alicorn toy?? I have to stock up to customize!!" type panic.Toy Fair is the only time we get to see what's comming from a legit source. I get that a lot of stuff has to be kept secret. But when it gets to the point where it's at the same stage as the Toy Fair stuff, why not put it up on a blog? Get people excited about the upcomming stuff?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Not surprising at all... there is a TON of money being lost to that market!   

[Rhini]

Welllll that was a nice and disturbing read!    I can't believe how underhanded it is of them to use tactics like offering free merch under the guise of getting his address so they could send lawyers to harass him.


Clearly they have every right to protect the integrity of their products and stop the sale of illegal merchandise, but if you're not smart enough to find the leaks, it is NOT our job or anyone else's job to do that for you. The fact that they had never even heard of taobao is a huge joke. Had they done any basic research it would have been easy enough to hunt down. If anyone should be receiving letters, it should be cease and desists sent to the sellers on Taobao, not to us.


I had noticed a general lack of new things appearing on there lately, and honestly I'm pretty okay with it. It's fun to know about things ahead of time, but often agonizing when you realize it's still going to be months till you can get your hands on one, if it ever gets released at all.


I really doubt they are losing a substantial amount of business however. 20 odd Ponies isn't even a drop in the bucket to a company making millions of dollars a year. It seems like more of a routine crackdown or someone finally realized things were getting out of hand. It's very very hard for US companies to monitor what their factory workers are doing since they are often very disconnected from actual production.

[Malicieuse]

So yeah, the way I see it, it's their problem these things are happening and they have absolutely no right to behave this way towards their customers, this is pretty outrageous.

I'm sorry but if you buy from taobao you know you are buying stolen goods (at least the prototypes and such). I'm not saying that Hasbro handles this well (it's quite overkill) but to act as if the buyer is fully innocent seems silly to me.
That's like buying a stolen watch and saying "well that person should not have been so stupid to get robbed, so it's ok!".

[LuvlyMelody]

Wow that's just scary, and downright dirty. I wonder if this crackdown is rising up because of the people asking if the taobao Pony is legit or not. Doubt it.

But I can see why they'd want to stop the prototypes being released. Since this person is a reviewer and does reviews of the products. If they get a product that has yet to be released, and they do a review on it and it should the product be a "fail" (whether its because it is a prototype or a very bad product) their readers will get the impression that it isn't worth buying and since the product isn't even out yet, I'm guessing it would affect the sale of the product?? That's one of the ways that's going through my head.


As for the scary van and goons, very scary and mob like tactics. >,<;

[Opalescence]

Yeah that seems logical. After all we live in an age where youtube celebrities can influence their most gullible of audiences to a scary degree

[josiekat]

Meh.....I don't really care either way. I mean, I would have loved a Minty (stupid Hasbro) or even the Ditzy Doo FS, but it's not like I was going to buy from taobao.....it's too much work for me. lol. I mean, hasbro has the right to protect their stuff, but since they essentially stole people's jobs when they sent their factories to China....I don't feel bad for them.

[Varkolak]

heaven forbid they actually look at taobao to see what the consumers like, and make something like it.

[Opalescence]

The customers shall be quiet until the marketing department tells the customers what the customers want. 

[Chi]

This is a little over the top..Well, at least that SPECIFIC scenario. I can understand them questioning who they got the products from, but asking for their address to go to them? Eeergh. 

[Varkolak]

i'd probably fall for it too. "give us your address so we can give you free ponies!!111one!!!1"
i'd be like "OK! here's my work address too!!!! send lots!"

[mlp4me]

If Hasbro really cared over the last 30 years there would be NO fakies roaming about... lol.
Obviously they can't control what happens with every pony that leaves the factory in somebody's pocket...