TABLET MAKER Asus is being sued by Hasbro over the Transformer Prime because of its name.The toymaking company has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles asking for an injunction banning the device as well as payment of damages. Hasbro markets the Transformer action toys, one of which is called Optimus Prime. It claims that Asus is violating its trademark.Hasbro told Paid Content, "Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products and the specific actions we are taking today against Asus underscores yet again Hasbro's willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain."The Transformer Prime is a follow-up device to the Transformer, which Asus launched in May. Hasbro never bothered to take any action over that tablet so we're surprised that it has taken it this long.There's a chance that Hasbro will lose the lawsuit because the products are so different and therefore it's hard for a consumer to get confused between them.The Transformer Prime isn't available in the UK yet. If Asus is forced to withdraw the device from the market this will no doubt disappoint large numbers of customers who have pre-ordered the tablet or are planning to splash out on one next year.We've contacted Asus for its response to this situation but have had no reply yet.source
