Hasbro Disapproves, ASUS Transformer Prime Gets ASUS Sued

Irony can be a wonderful thing, until it is worn down, overused and then crushed into the ground by how the things subject to it get too many and go too far for irony to handle.

Back when the Kindle Fire tablet first got Amazon sued, the irony was easy to see, given the tradition that the IT industry has for potential game changers to be taken to court.

It was doubly interesting to see it happen even before the device even got launched.

Now, ASUS has joined the ranks of those who have to deal with such messes, although one might say that irony is exhausted by this point.

After all, there have been so many legal clashes that people all over the Internet are more fed up with it all than amused.

At least ASUS gets to say it isn't a subject of patent infringement claims this time around, not that the charges can't have the same outcome.

It is Hasbro that sued ASUS over two trademarks related to popular children's action toys, or action figures.

The trademarks in question are Transformers and Optimus Prime.

Given that ASUS Transformer Prime is a really obvious play on both of those brands, we actually find ourselves wondering why this lawsuit wasn't started earlier.

Perhaps it had something to do with how the tablet and the action figures aren't even remotely similar products, so it may be assumed that sales of one won't affect the other, and vice-versa.

On the flip side, we have to admit that ASUS could have chosen any other name instead of painting this big target on the back of the item.

Then again, stranger things have happened, like lawsuits over patents that describe the act of tapping on an icon on a touchscreen (the aforementioned one over the Kindle Fire is exactly this).

The complaint was filed with the Los Angeles federal court. Hasbro demands monetary damages and a temporary injunction that would bar Transformer Prime tablets form the US.