Just as a point of clarification, Hasbro didn't lose the names to the G1 ponies because it didn't fight to protect them or anything like that, they just failed to keep their names registered and let the trademarks expire, once expired they became part of the public domain, Hasbro probably could have resecured them if they really wanted to, but they didn't want to waste the time or money for a toyline where the characters maintain no concrete consistency or personality between generations, that and after the G1 cartoon ended, they didn't think the MLP line would last as long as it did, the entire toy line has been on the chopping block multiple times over the decades before G4 rolled in and blew the MLP line up into one of Hasbro's most lucrative properties right next to Transformers.The Rogue Wolf said:But... but corporations are always evil! And it's not like failing to protect its copyrights ever hurt Hasbro! Y'know, except for how it couldn't even use most of the previous-generation characters in FiM because it hadn't protected its copyrights.EternallyBored said: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).
I think that's what you were saying anyway, and I agree, but I though I should clarify that point since I've met quite a few people that operate under the misconception that a company has to be just as paranoid and litigious as Disney, or the Government steps in and takes their IP from them.